Jovanni Oyola always danced and sang at parties in his North Philadelphia neighborhood. Family members like his uncle Wilfredo Pedraza knew they could rely on Jovanni to provide entertainment at these gatherings.
“Jovanni lit up the room with a song and dance, he’d tell jokes, or do whatever it took to get you to smile,” Wilfredo says.
Get-togethers haven’t been the same since Jovanni passed away. On July 22, 2015, the 19-year-old was found outside his girlfriend’s house, near the 3000 block of North Howard Street, with multiple gunshot wounds. Jovanni was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
“We are so thankful to God for the time we’ve had with him, but we all still miss him every day,” says Ary Williams, Jovanni’s mother.
Wildredo, a music producer and artist, says he’s sad he’ll never get to see his nephew write and perform songs.
“He always wanted to make music with me,” Wilfredo says. “He loved reggae, hip hop and urban gospel, and it was nice to share that interest with him.”
The family says that what hurts most is that Jovanni will never meet his baby, born after he died. Wilfredo says Jovanni gave a lot of affection to his family and close friends and would’ve given just as much, if not more, to his child.
“He constantly said ‘I love you’ to everyone,” Wilfredo recalls. “When he arrived and before he left, I’d hear ‘I love you, tio.’ I don’t get to hear that from him anymore.”
The City of Philadelphia is offering a up $20,000 as a reward for anyone who comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Jovanni’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Date: 2015-07-22
Location: 3000 N Howard Street, Philadelphia, PA
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