Remembering Warriors- Izaiah
Christopher R.
Izaiah Franceschi: 2001-2017
BY Chris Rios
news editor
While home with his younger brother, 15-year old Izaiah Franceschi, a Maine West freshman, was shot in a fatal incident at the start of spring finals week. Rushed to Lutheran General Hospital, Franceschi died on May 22.
According to a police statement, Izaiah was accidentally shot with a handgun by his younger brother and passed away two days later.
“He was a kind and respectful kid,” Maine West counselor Shamoon Ebrahimi said.
Although quiet, Izaiah didn’t let that stop him from participating or joking around during class. “Izaiah brought great engagement and joy to the classroom,” student teacher Noor Fakhoury said. “His dynamic character made him a delight to have in class. Since he had so many friends and individuals that loved him within the classroom, his passing was truly devastating.
“There was an evident hurt throughout the classroom. A member of the family we had created was no longer with us and it was an emotion we could not escape,” Fakhoury continued. “We cried together as a class, experienced anguish as a family and inevitably lifted each other up during a time of hardship.”
Izaiah was very passionate about basketball. “He was always the leader on the B-team,” science teacher and basketball coach Bill Comiskey said. “We had a meeting in May to check on the team, and you can see a lot of kids were hurt.”
During the first game of the year, “they were down two [points] and needed a shot to tie the game, the last minute shot,” Comiskey said. “When we asked who wanted to take it, all the kids [chose] Izaiah. He was always the person who would bring the energy back into the team.”
According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in the United States one out of every three homes with kids have guns, and nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with an unlocked, loaded gun.
“I hope that, although very sad, we can learn from this experience and look after our own children and family members who own a gun. It’s important to take all the necessary precautions to keep this from ever happening again,” Ebrahimi said.
Leave a Reply