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WEBVTT THING. HE WAS SWEET AND WELL-LIKED. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS ALL CONFUSING AND HEARTBREAKING. >> YOU ARE HEARTBROKEN. I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES. HE WAS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS ALEX. SHE SAID SHE WAS LIKE A GRANDMOTHER TO HIM. SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO HOLD HIM WHEN HE WAS BORN. >> HE WAS SO NICE AND SWEET. EVERYONE LOVED HIM. >> 6:30 TUESDAY MORNING, SOMEONE SHOT AND KILLED ALEX. THE 15-YEAR-OLD WAS GUNNED DOWN AS HE WALKED TO SCHOOL. >> YOU KNOW WHO, WHY THIS WOULD HAPPEN? >> I DON’T KNOW. ARLO EVERYWHERE THEY ARE KILLING CHILDREN. >> POLICE PASSED OUT FLYERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRYING TO GET INFORMATION AND JOG MEMORIES. STUDENTS CONTINUE TO ADD TO BALLOONS AND STUFFED ANIMALS ADDING MESSAGES OF LOVE TO WHERE HE WAS SHOCKED. >> HE WOULD NOT HURT A FLY. HE WAS A SWEET LITTLE KID. JUST TRYING TO GO TO SCHOOL AND GET HIS EDUCATION. SOMEONE TOOK THAT AWAY FROM HIM. >> ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, TWO DETECTIVES COME BY. THEY SAID THEY WILL SOON RELEASE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO THAT WILL SHOW A VAN THAT THEY WANT TO IDENTIFY. SOON AS WE GET IT, WE WILL PASS IT O

Advertisement 15-year-old fatally shot while walking to school in Orange County, sheriff says Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 15-year-old was shot and killed Tuesday morning while walking to Boone High School. Officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office the shooting happened near the intersection of Waldo Street and East Kaley Avenue in Orlando around 6:30 a.m.Orange County Sheriff John Mina said first responders treated the 15-year-old student at the scene on Tuesday morning. He was then taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The student was identified Tuesday afternoon as Alejandro Vargas Martinez. Residents heard the gunshots and called 911, but Mina said no witnesses to the shooting have come forward. Mina said preliminary information indicates that Martinez was walking to school alone when he was shot. Boone High School Principal Dusty Johns posted a message to parents on the school's Facebook page Tuesday morning: Boone High families, we have some very sad news to share with you. We were made aware by law enforcement that early this morning one of our students was tragically killed on the way to school. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they go through this extremely difficult time. Your child may speak with you and share this sad news. Students will have varied reactions to the death of a peer. Any reaction is normal in the grief process and I encourage you to openly discuss with your child their feelings and reactions. We will have a crisis team on campus to provide counseling assistance for students and staff. In addition, out of an abundance of caution, we will have additional law enforcement presence on campus. The safety and well-being of our students is my top priority. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns. Orange County Public Schools officials said Boone High School was on a lockout Tuesday morning because of the police activity. "We apologize for the delay in sending a call out message this morning; however, we experienced technical difficulties. We were on a lockout due to police activity in the area. The lockout is now lifted and we have resumed our school day. We appreciate your patience," a tweet from Boone High School said. Friends of the victim struggled to cope with the tragic loss Tuesday, as they held a memorial to honor and remember him.Alex's family said he liked to cook, style hair and wanted to be a star. "He couldn't hurt a fly. He was like a sweet, little kid trying to go to school everyday trying to get his education and somebody just took that away from him," Tyrese Nunnally told WESH 2 News.A $10,000 reward is being offered for information about the case.Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff's Office or Crimeline.