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"How could a young man with so much potential, such a bright future, willing to work so hard..... be gone," was one of many statements made by loved ones in memory of 18-year-old Joshua Anthony Soto.
Soto and another 18-year-old were shot Saturday night in the 1800 block of East Cornwall Street, CBS3 reports citing Philadelphia police.
Soto was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second victim, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, the news outlet says.
Police have made an arrest in the case but the investigation is still ongoing, authorities told the news outlet.
Meanwhile, nearly $33,000 had been raised on a GoFundMe page in Soto's name as of Thursday morning.
Soto was known in the skating community as a rising star, having competed as a finalist in the 2019 Intermediate U.S. Figure Skating competition and most recently in the 2022 Junior Ice Dance U.S. Figure Skating championship series, according to GoFundMe organizer Slava Uchitel.
He attended Central High School in Philadelphia and graduated from Agora Cyber Charter School in King of Prussia, Uchitel wrote.
He was set to start college at West Chester University in January, according to loved ones.
"We will forever see his smile when we close our eyes; we will forever hear his words of encouragement when we feel down, and we will forever keep the lessons he taught us about hard work and commitment when we feel defeated," loved ones said.
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