A night of escalating teen fights in Norristown, Pennsylvania ended in tragedy — a 15-year-old boy is dead, and his 16-year-old classmate is now charged with first-degree murder.
What happened?
On Wednesday, June 3, around 8:30 p.m., two groups of teenagers met up multiple times to fight. They kept moving locations — police were nearby. By the third confrontation, along the 500 block of West Marshall Street, things turned deadly.
One teen pulled out a .40 caliber handgun and fired. Javon Oyola, a 9th grader at Norristown Area High School, was shot in the head. He was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
Who is the suspect?
Alex Herrera, 16, a 10th grader at the same school, was arrested and charged as an adult with first-degree murder. Police say he is the one who fired the shot.
When an officer spotted Herrera walking strangely near the scene, he thought the teen might be a victim. Instead, Herrera allegedly lied about his age, claimed he had been attacked — and had just handed off the gun to a friend.
His reason for bringing the gun? Chilling.
Herrera told detectives he had purchased an illegal Glock 23 in May from a 17-year-old who built it from parts bought online. He said he brought the weapon to the fight to — in his own words — “make sure things did not get out of hand.”
He claimed Oyola attacked him during the fight, so he pulled the gun, told Oyola to back up, and fired.
A family shattered
Javon’s mother, Angie Oyola, is devastated. “He was a good boy. He just needed guidance. He grew up without a dad,” she said.
His stepmother, Raenna Faggins, had a message for every family: “Small mistakes have big consequences. Our family is forever different.”
The aftermath
Norristown Area High School went into lockdown Thursday, then switched to virtual learning Friday. A balloon release was held Friday evening in Javon’s memory.
Herrera is being held without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 12.
