‘Nick was such an amazing kid’: Classmates of slain 14-year-old react to his death, and gun violence, in their own words

He was 14, a high school freshman, thrilled to play football. He was a good writer, an advocate for social justice. He liked sci-fi movies and he made his bed every morning.

Nicolas Elizalde had been a member of the Saul High School Class of 2026 for just four weeks when he was shot and killed outside Roxborough High on Sept. 27, just after finishing a football scrimmage.

In the days after Elizalde’s death, his ninth-grade classmates at Saul were moved to write about their brief but memorable experiences with him — and about gun violence. Their words are raw, emotional, innocent but weary.

The students’ work has been edited for space and clarity. Entries include the names of the writers when parents gave permission.

I think that what happened was outrageous. I can’t imagine his mom after hearing her son got shot and he’s possibly dead. He was a young boy like me, 14, very kind and nice, and just wanted to play a sport. It could’ve been any one of us. RIP to Nick. May he rest in heaven.

Gun violence has always been a part of my life in some way. On the news, guns, on the street, guns, and even when I try to sleep, I can hear the distant noises of people shooting outside my window. Seeing these twisted acts of violence in school, of all places, is terrifying. Schools are made to keep kids safe. Please, all Philly schools and parents, please watch over students to keep them safe, raise funds to have more security or to hire forces to patrol the area, especially for kids in extracurriculars so they can be dropped off and returned home safely.

Nick was such an amazing kid and friend of mine. He was one of the first people I talked to on the first day of school, and now, when I feel like we’re getting close, that’s when he is taken away from us. I feel like nowhere is safe now. .

Nick lit up a room with just his smile. He was funny and kind. He had a passion for football. It sucks going to school knowing that he is gone and I will no longer see him. I hope we get justice for Nick. I’m going to miss you, Nick. And I wish I got to know you and be your friend.

If people are going to have guns, they should know how to control it, not use it for dumb reasons. My friend Nick died because of gun violence that he wasn’t even a part of. He was a funny and enjoyable friend.

You could be hanging out with your friend, and then the next day you heard that he was killed and you would never see him again. You need to spend time with everyone because tomorrow is not promised.

Before I met Nick, I thought I wouldn’t make friends with anyone, but Nick was the first person that talked to me.

People just get guns and just want to kill people, and most of the time it’s over dumb things. I feel so bad for Nick, and I think no parent should have to ever lose their child. I pray his parents make it through this hard time.

The whole situation scares me because I play for Roxborough, and I thought that was an OK spot. I feel like I have to second-guess where I’m standing in public, and that’s scary. If Roxborough is not safe, why should I play an away game at Kensington, why should I feel safe at Pachella [field] home games, and why should I feel safe in Philly at all?

I always knew that the city of Philly was dangerous, but I guess I thought people would have a more gentle touch when it comes to kids. To think that there really is no safe place is hard. When I leave the house to wait at the bus stop or simply just go to the corner store by my house I am always looking over my shoulder, my first thought: “What family members’ house am I close to, just in case?” I don’t like the fact that teens have to live in fear.

He was always understanding and he was also always a good listener and gave very good advice, and I think that it’s horrible he got shot. If I could go back, I would tell him not to go to practice and to just go home.

Growing up in North Philadelphia, gun violence was and still is a very common issue within the communities. I had to watch where I went all the time, couldn’t go out at night, and wasn’t allowed to talk to certain people because my mom didn’t want me to hang around the wrong crowd. Most of the time I only went out when I went to school or day care. The amount of murders within my area had me fear for my life. Nowhere besides my home and my school really felt safe.

Hearing that he met death by a gunshot is almost normal because in Philadelphia, people die by gunshot and at a young age, so there’s nothing new to this.

Nick was very chill and he was never doing anything wrong. He always did all of his work, and he was always at school/class on time. He was a very humble person.

This is my last straw on gun violence because too many innocent kids are losing their life. They need to pop up at every house in Philadelphia and check for guns and take them, and if people are trying to buy guns online, block it so they have guns for Philadelphia police officers and people who are licensed to carry. Kids can’t even go to afterschool activities without worrying about their life being at risk. Kids should just go have fun without a gunfight. I think the parents should show their kids some more love because if they don’t, they are going to go to the streets looking for some love and you don’t want that to happen. Limit the times you let your kids go out at night. Take their phones at night. Limit their social media.

Nick’s death impacted me hard because I knew him since grade school, and when I heard he died, I started to cry and I called [my friend] to let him know, and he started to cry, too. But I didn’t believe it until the next day when I didn’t see him. I was sad because I remember when he used to dab me in the hallway, and we talked about class, and it was so funny because he would make a face while we were talking.

The last thing he told me was to join the JV football team because he was the only freshman, and now look where he is, up there in the sky with Jesus. But I’m going to take his place in playing football so he can always remember football.

Living in an era where you have to tell your younger sister what to do if someone starts shooting is scary. Having always to check your corners, even if you live in a “nicer” part of the city, is not something that we should have to do. Just getting to and from school shouldn’t be something that could end a child’s life.

How do I feel? I feel as though the whole thing could have been prevented, and that it is heartbreaking. This wasn’t the first time and may not be the last, either. But Nick shouldn’t have to be one of those people. He was an amazing classmate and always did what was expected and beyond. Nick was also a great and wonderful friend to everyone and was friendly. We all loved Nick, but we know that he is in a better place.

Nick was one of the first friends I made here at Saul. We would talk in African American history and English class and make jokes and laugh. We would talk on Snapchat. When he died I was in disbelief, shock. For me to not think about it, I listen to music or play video games. This helps me to take my mind off of it.

People need to open their eyes and realize that this is NOT normal. People who are nice and are a functioning member of society shouldn’t be worried about being killed when they do something as simple as going to school, going to a store, or just leaving your home. There is major work to do on this city and what has been happening here is completely unacceptable.

Nick was a student who sat next to me in my African American history class. He was funny and had many friends. On the day he was killed, everybody was happy and nothing bad really happened. In fact, at lunch a lot of boys were talking and laughing, and one of them was Nick. That day was great. Then on the news, there was a shooting at Roxborough High School.

There is no reason for kids to have guns. Philadelphia needs to do something and stop violence like this.