LONGMONT, Colo. — Grief, sadness and anger filled Kensington Park in Longmont Sunday evening as a crowd of more than a hundred people stopped by to pay their respects to 13-year-old Zay Rosales.
He was one of two teens shot at the park just a day prior while playing basketball with friends in what police are calling a drive-by shooting.
"He was loved by many. He always had a smile on his face," Mary Alvidrez, Zay's cousin, told Denver7 Sunday.
She and Zay's grandmother, Beverly Anaya, are still trying to make sense of what happened, along with the rest of his friends and family.
"Forty-two years ago, almost to the day, we lost our cousin to a shooting here in Longmont, [Anaya's brother], so it's like history repeating itself," Alvidrez said.
Elias DeHerrara, Zay's 15-year-old cousin, was shot in the leg but survived. He made an appearance at Zay's vigil.
"They all saw this. They have to live with this for the rest of their lives," Alvidrez said. "Nobody won here."
Many of the balloons and candles were held by teens themselves who, at their young age, now have to process the loss of their friend.
"It's unfathomable," family friend Amanda Lopez said. "Our youth should be able to feel safe and be safe ... have places they can hang out and not have to look over their shoulder when they're relaxing."
The 19-year-old driver accused of shooting at the teens, Yahir Solis, is now in custody, charged with murder and attempted murder. He also has two warrants out for his arrest from previous cases.
The families of the victims take comfort in knowing he's off the streets.
"He needs to pay for what he's done," Anaya said. "He's taken a 13-year-old child's [life] that was playing on a basketball court. That's unfair. That's just unfair."
If you’d like to help Zay’s family with their expenses for his funeral, a GoFundMe has been created in his name.