Family and friends will pay their final respects on Saturday to a 16-year-old New Haven boy and standout baseball player who was shot and killed over the weekend in front of his home.
Jericho Scott was killed early Sunday as he was leaning into a Volkswagen hatchback outside his house on Exchange Street near Blatchley Avenue when someone opened fire into the car.
according to his family, and police are searching for the killer and urging anyone with information to come forward.
During his short life, Scott made a name for himself as a talented baseball player and had a room full of trophies.
His mother, Nicole Scott, said Jericho started making headlines on the baseball field when he was 9 years old, throwing pitches so fast that other Little League teams refused to play against him.
His obituary mentions not only his talents in baseball, but also his infectious smile tendency to be an outgoing jokester.
"No parent deserves to bury their child, no parent," said his father, Leroy Scott. "You shouldn't have to bury your child."
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Scott was a junior at Wilbur Cross High School, where grief counselors were available this week to provide support to students affected by their classmate's death.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with this child's family, his friends and with the entire school district community," New Haven Supt. Garth Harries said in a statement. "While the complex circumstances surrounding the loss of this child leave us deeply saddened and perplexed, we stand resolved to find ways to bring an end to these acts of violence among our city youth, and engage all students on positive paths for their future."
As family prepares for the funeral, police are searching for leads in the case.
“We are beyond frustrated, knowing that there were people out there, knowing there had to have been people, perhaps dozens of people who witnessed this, and who aren't coming forward,” Officer Dave Hartman, of the New Haven Police Department said.
Calling hours are Friday, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., at Ebenezer Chapel, at 50 Dwight Street in New Haven. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. at the chapel.
