"He was a light," community mourns 15-year-old shot and killed in Franklin Township

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Those who knew 15-year-old Issa Jeylani said he was an incredible young man with a bright future.

He was shot and killed Friday night in Franklin Township.

People close to him said he was just playing soccer with friends when another group of kids showed up, started harassing them and fighting, then fired shots.

"They started firing, open fire on the kids," Zerqa Abid said.

Abid is the founder of MY Project USA and said she knew Jeylani well. He was on her organization's soccer team, the Hilltop Tigers, and spent a lot of time at her youth empowerment center.

She said he lit up a room with his bright personality and he was a talented soccer player and just helped his team with a tournament.

"To me its not a client, its not somebody in the neighborhood who I didn't know, this is my baby," Abid said.

ABC 6/FOX 28 spoke to the soccer coach who was there when the shooting happened. He said he tried to stop it, and repeatedly told the other group to leave, but they wouldn't listen.

Now Jeylani's teammates, friends, and family are left with nothing but memories of him.

"I always dreaded this day, I knew I am working with gang issues and gun violence and any day it would be one of these kids," Abid said.

Another boy was shot as well but he is expected to be okay.

Abid said kids are taking a risk every time they play outside around the hilltop neighborhood, and she's calling on the city to invest more in safe outdoor recreation areas to prevent this from happening again.

"They are being killed in situations just because they were in the neighborhood where there is no safe space for them to play and just to be a kid," Abid said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Franklin County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau at (614) 525-3351.