LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — Lebanon County officials are conducting an investigation after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed in South Lebanon Township on Wed., Feb. 15.
The Lebanon County District Attorney's Office says police responded to reports of multiple gunshots in the 300 block of Vine Street on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf, 13-year-old Jason Rivera was shot and killed in the incident.
"This was a child with a bright future," Graf said at a press conference with the Rivera family on Thursday morning. "This was a little boy gunned down in a parking lot for no reason."
“His mother will never be able to hold him again, tell him that she loved him,” said Jason’s grandmother.
"He was full of life, he would make anyone’s day better," added Jason's aunt. "He wasn’t supposed to go like this, not in this way. He didn’t deserve it at all."
While it is unclear exactly how the shooting unfolded, Graf noted that it was "not a random act of violence."
"It’s a little boy gunned down in a parking lot, it’s a mother who has to bury her son, it’s a grandmother who has to try to heal this family’s hurt and this family’s pain," said Graf.
Jason loved sports, playing video games, and was obsessed with sneakers. His family and investigators shared this photo of him with the public on Thursday.
"We did that to show you and to show this community what a true victim of gun violence looks like, this is a 13-year-old boy gunned down," said Graf.
Jason's family says he was so excited to turn 16 and learn how to drive.
"And unfortunately due to this act of brutal senseless gun violence, that is one dream that child and his family will never see come to fruition," said Graf.
Authorities are still searching for the person who killed Jason. They're asking witnesses to the shooting to come forward and speak to police.
"Our investigation started Tuesday night and it will not stop until we find Jason’s killer but we need your help, they need your help, Jason’s mother, his grandmother, his family needs your help," said Graf.
Officials provided an update at a press conference on Thursday morning. You can watch it in the video below.
