Michele Haddon,Jo Ciavaglia,Damon C. Williams,Chris UlleryBucks County Courier Times
The grieving woman bundled in a red hoodie shivered against the bitter November air near where her 14-year-old son died nearly 24 hours earlier.
She watched as a knot of teens carefully arranged tea lights between sunshine yellow daisies and white and pale yellow lilies on a concrete ledge that runs along a brick wall with visible bullet holes, evidence of the gun violence that claimed her boy the night before.
To no one in particular, the mother of Peter Romano made a request.
“I want that spot empty tomorrow, please,” she said. “I want to put my flowers on the ground tomorrow."
She motioned toward a nearby parking space, where earlier two bouquets of yellow daisies marked the spot where Peter Romano died violently on Halloween.
The only other words that his mother offered to media gathered outside the Bensalem shopping center was to announce the family would be holding a big memorial there on Thursday at 6 p.m.
On Wednesday night, she and other teenagers visited the scene where police say a lone gunman possibly in a white SUV fired more than a dozen rounds intoa large group of teenagers in the parking lot ofthe small strip mall in the 2600 block of Bristol Pike and Woodbine Avenue.
Three Bensalem teenagers were shot.Peter was shot in the chest and died. A 17-year-old remains hospitalized with leg injuries and a 19-year-old was treated and released. Police have not identified a motive or suspect, and have asked for the public's assistance.
On Wednesday morning, Peter's mother and aunt were at the shopping center where they visited each of the five businesses and requested they turn over any surveillance video from the night before to police.
After nightfall Wednesday, the mother returned with five teenagers and another womanto find the yellow daisies sitting on the ledge beside a battery-operated candle with the words “Rest in Peace” written in black marker.
They gathered around the small memorial where they embraced, lit tea candles, and wiped tears.
The woman and three of the teenagers walked to the bodega, which sits between the hair salon where a stray bullet punched a hole in the glass front door and the pizza place where teens often hang out.
They returned with four prayer candles: St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes; St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost and stolen articles; the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a symbol of tranquility and serenity and Our Lady of Altagracia, the patron saint of the Dominican Republic.
A second time they gathered around the candles with their hoods up and heads down. Peter's mother stood waiting a few feet away watching.
After a minute, they walked silently back to their car.
Who is Peter Romano?
His name was Pietro, but his family called him Peter.
"Peter was a 14-year-old boy who enjoyed doing everything a 14-year-old boy loved to do.A sudden loss like (this) is very heavy and devastating," the family wrote in a verified GoFundMe post on Wednesday.
One donor wrote he didn't know Peter very well, but last saw him two days earlier. "He was such a funny and nice kid."
Peter attended Cecilia Snyder Middle School on Hulmeville Road.
In a letter, Bensalem Superintendent Samuel Lee offered condolences to the families of the victims.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share that Pietro Romano, a 14-year-old Snyder student, was tragically killed last evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the affected individuals and their families during this incredibly challenging time,” Lee said.
Lee said school district counselors and other support services were being made available to students and staff.
Updates on fatal Bensalem shooting: What we know about the fatal Halloween shooting in Bensalem, and why police want your help
What Bensalem police say happened in the Bristol Pike shopping center Halloween night
“This obviously (is) a tragedy for our township, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim right now,” Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said Wednesday morning. “No one should ever be the victim of gun violence, especially a 14-year-old."
He said about 25 to 30 juveniles were in the area prior to the shooting.
Police have not publicly identified a shooter or a motive, and no information on the shooter's vehicle has been released yet.
Police urge anyone who was at the scene of the shooting or anyone with additional information to contact Detective Brian Oliverio (215) 633-3669 or Detective Larry Leith (215) 633-3713.Anonymous tips can be submitted to bucks.crimewatchpa.com/bensalempd.
More on Halloween night shooting: Middle schooler killed in Bensalem on Halloween: 'We need to get this killer off the streets.'
Gone too soon, who killed Peter Romano? Memorial for 14-year-old grows
The family of Peter Romano, 14, visit the Bensalem shopping center where he was shot to death and two other teens were injured on Oct. 31, 2023.
