WILKINSBURG, Pa.,None — The family of the boy who was shot and killed in Wilkinsburg over the weekend said he was a bright student with a solid future, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"He wasn't out there carrying guns or none of that. He had plans to go places. They took my baby away from me," said Lisa White.
White broke down into tears as she talked about her son.
Jason Paylor, 17, was an eleventh grader at Wilkinsburg High School who received numerous awards for his achievements in art and science.
White said her son was not the target of the shooting.
"By the time I got to the door, I heard four gunshots and my daughter was standing there jumping up and down calling his name and said he wouldn't get up," said White.
Jason's aunt, Veronica, said, "Whoever they are, they need to turn themselves in. They are bound to get caught sooner or later."
Paylor's family set out some of his artwork as they spoke of their memories.
They said he planned to join the Marines after high school. He was planning to move out of Wilkinsburg.
Detectives took several people into custody for questioning, but so far, there are no arrests.
His mother said, "Somebody knows something. It was broad daylight."
White stressed that her son had taken the right path in life.
Grief counselors were made available to students at Wilkinsburg High School on Monday. The principal said she wants to use Jason's life as an example for other students.
"They're looking at this as something that is meaningless. It's helping them to see how important education is, because it was important to Jason," said Principal Ella Rawlings. "I was really devastated when I heard the news. Jason was a very fine young man that was also concerned about his education and bettering himself."
Paylor's teachers said he was an excellent student who was always ready to learn.
"Primarily his smile, more than anything," said technology teacher Lawson Shaw. "He was constantly jovial."
Family and friends are holding a vigil in Paylor's memory Monday night at 7 p.m.