He was shot playing the sport he loved. Now this 15-year-old from Ohio is one of the youngest victims of gun violence in the country

By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN

Ali Jeylani knows not to pick favorites when it comes to family members, but of his seven siblings, he’s always had a soft spot for his younger brother, Issa.

Maybe it’s their shared love of football, their admiration for Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, or maybe it’s simply because the two saw a piece of themselves in each other despite their seven-year age difference.

Issa, 15, was due to start his sophomore year of high school in the fall, but instead his family is mourning his death after he was shot while playing soccer with friends in Columbus, Ohio, making him one of about 1,000 children and teenage victims of gun violence so far this year.

On Friday, July 22, Issa played soccer with his teammates from Hilltop Tiger Soccer Club, part of MY Project USA, a nonprofit organization focused on fighting gang violence.

According to Zerqa Abid, president of MY Project USA, a group approached the boys looking for one of Issa’s teammates.

The teenagers argued on the field and someone pulled a gun and a shot hit Issa, Abid said. According to police, the shooting happened just before 10:30 p.m. It is unclear how many shots were fired.

“This is a loss to the community, this is not just a loss to the family,” Abid said. “Issa took a piece of our heart and we mourn.”

Gun violence marred 2022, which may be the nation’s worst year on record, experts say. According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 26,000 gun violence deaths have been recorded so far this year.

Ali Jeylani, 22, is also a coach at Hilltop Tigers Soccer Club but was on a different part of the field when the shooting happened. He was getting ready to leave the chaos when he realized Issa wasn’t with him. When he found Issa, his younger brother had a gunshot wound and was bleeding profusely from his chest, Jeylani said.

Two other teenagers were injured in the incident, Maureen Kocot of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. One suffered a gunshot wound but is expected to make a full recovery and another suffered minor injuries in the chaos that followed the shooting.

Authorities told CNN they are unwilling to discuss a possible motive and no suspects have been taken into custody. Abid suspects the attack is related to gang violence, which is exactly what her organization, MY project USA, is working to protect against.

The organization, according to its website, aims to “protect and empower our youth and families” and “empower underprivileged, crime-ridden neighborhoods” through community programs like the Hilltop Tiger Soccer Club.

“Right now we’re trying to process everything, but we’re having family conversations and we’re getting closer as a family,” Jeylani told CNN. “He didn’t deserve this; he really just wanted to play football.”

Abid has known the Jeylani family for several years and became close to Issa through volunteering with the non-profit organization.

As much as the nonprofit does to protect and empower youth and the community from gangs and gun violence, Abid said losing Issa in this way was heartbreaking.

Lead by example on and off the field

Issa, who would have turned 16 next month, had big plans. He wanted to go to college and keep playing football.

Issa often spoke to his older brother about his goals during their conversations at home, Jeylani said. Ali wasn’t just Issa’s brother, he was his confidante, his football coach and his mentor all rolled into one.

“Everyone in the house would tease me if they come into my room, but if they come into my room I can’t get mad, I just let him stay and we would chill,” Jeylani said.

Issa may have been the smallest player on the soccer field, but he played with the biggest heart, Ali Jeylani said.

jeylani likes to think Issa inherited his love for Real Madrid from him. He’s grateful they got to see the team lift the biggest trophy of the season together on TV in the Champions League.

James Fredrickson coached four Jeylani brothers, including Ali and Issa, at Ohio Premier Soccer Club in suburban Columbus.

Through relationships in the soccer club community, Hilltop Tigers connects players they believe can play at a more advanced level with clubs like Ohio Premier Soccer Club, which is how the Jeylani brothers were coached under Fredrickson’s wing.

“We have some donors who sponsor these kids to come to training,” he said, “and go to events that they wouldn’t normally be able to go to.”

One of his fondest memories of Issa’s character was off the field during a tournament in Indianapolis last year.

After the evening’s game was over, Fredrickson and the four boys he was supervising were going to a Red Robin for dinner when Issa saw a group of special needs guests leave. As they shuffled out the door, Issa held the door open but noticed a woman being left behind.

Instead of concentrating on getting his dinner, Issa approached the van, which was reversing out of the parking lot without any of its members, and alerted her.

“If Issa hadn’t acted so quickly, it could have gotten really bad, who knows? said Fredrickson.

“And we all talked about that night … how we looked at other places and how we felt kind of like, maybe God put us there that night for that purpose.”

As a footballer, Fredrickson said, Issa was skilled and adept at handling the ball.

“We are all devastated,” he said. “It’s so tragic.”

The family has raised money to help ease the burden of funeral and memorial expenses related to Issa’s funeral.

Concern for the safety of other youth

“A debate that’s going through the whole nation is why these people, or anyone who doesn’t need guns, has guns,” Abid said. “So that’s a question, but on top of that, MY Project USA saw that with the right programming, we could keep our kids away from gangs and guns, and we’ve proven that.”

And now Abid worries about the safety of the other youth in her programs and says the entire community needs to take a stand to prevent future violence.

“Issa’s case really showed me that doing it for just a few might not be enough; we have to do it with a holistic approach for all of us.”

After a few weeks break from coaching, Jeylani plans to return to coaching Hilltop Tiger Soccer Club to do his part in protecting youth in his community. He feels that’s what Issa would have wanted.

“I don’t want them (players) to feel like they’re not safe and just do my best to coach them, take their minds off things from home and make them do better and theirs to make dreams come true.”

And although Issa will not knock at his brother’s Bedroom door for her sibling talks, Jeylani knows his brother didn’t go far.

“We still feel like he’s here. He’s in our hearts,” he said.

The CNN Wire
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