CLEVELAND — The father of a 16-year-old boy shot and killed over the weekend wants to know the truth about what happened.
Police say a group had been at a party at an Airbnb before a fight and then gunshots down the street.
The shooting happened near West 130th Street and Lorain Avenue just after midnight Sunday.
“He was everything that a dad could ask for in a son," Eric Paradiso said.
Paradiso can’t stop thinking about the last moments with his son, Aniaz.
“I dropped him off, 3, 4, 5 o’clock. I said, 'I love you, son, be careful.' 'You too, Dad. I got you,' and then I got a call like, 12 that everything was going down," Paradiso said.
Paradiso says he knew his son was at a gathering of friends at an Airbnb and was supposed to stay the night.
“There was going to be parental supervision, and that’s the only way I agreed to it," Paradiso said.
Mary Cooper returned home from work to young people milling about on Berea Road.
She captured on her cell phone a little bit of a commotion after hearing gunfire.
“I heard the gunshots from down the street, 'pop pop pop' I mean they were as loud as can be, woke my husband up, next thing, cars were flying down the street," Cooper said.
Aniaz Paradiso was an 11th grader at Valley Forge High School.
“My son was awesome. He was mature, he was kind. He had a big heart," his dad said.
Paradiso believes his son was among others that night, trying to stop someone from making a mistake.
“It was just some kids going back and forth amongst each other, trying to stop another one from driving drunk," Paradiso said.
The teen’s father thinks someone nearby took matters into their own hands.
“He came out and let off a warning shot, telling them to take it down the street, and after that, he let off 15 shots, and he hit my son," Paradiso said.
Police found numerous shell casings in an alleyway. By Monday afternoon, only police tape was seen hanging from a tree.
“He was my best friend. He was my best friend,” Paradiso said.
Paradiso is now urging witnesses to do the right thing and come forward to police.
“I need them to step up. It’s not right for us to be sitting here just wondering, you know, and it’s not right for the suspect to be at large," Paradiso said.
Family and friends are honoring Aniaz Paradiso with a balloon release at the shooting scene at W. 130th Street and Lorain Avenue.
His funeral is set for Saturday morning.
The family is accepting donations for funeral expenses.
Police say they charged an 18-year-old with obstruction, and homicide investigators are still trying to figure out who the shooter is.
