"This was a person who gave back to his community," Pippion-McGriff said. "He worked for some of the worst schools in our city. It's not OK that they took his life.



"We failed our generation of kids," she said. "No mother should have to bury her child. We have to come together to figure out what can be done to help our youth."



Joy's grandmother took photos of the bloodstains on the concrete and plastic gloves left on the ground, calling the mess left behind by emergency crews "disrespectful."



"He's supposed to be at my house today helping plant flowers," said Tytrea Baker, a minister and trauma nurse. "He's always been a good boy. Always been smart. Always been caring.



"And for him to die like this for a phone. Really? A phone?" she asked. "This was not necessary. There's no need for this. And you got a university no less than 50 feet away. You got kids and babies walking up this neighborhood. We should not have to live like animals. He should be able to walk home."



"No other son should have to die on this battlefield of Chicago," she said.



Joy's father could not be reached, but in a Facebook post he said "words cannot express the devastating pain and loss we are all feeling right now."



"Xavier was an incredibly creative, funny, and smart young man," Ra Joy wrote. "We hope and pray for an end to the violence that has impacted our family and so many others in our city."