PHILADELPHIA - A mother and Philadelphia police officer shared raw and powerful emotions about the murder of her son a day after he was shot to death during an apparent robbery in North Philadelphia.Edweena Ferguson, a 17-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, was surrounded by family and loved ones Tuesday afternoon as she spoke glowingly about her slain son 23-year-old Hyram Hill Jr. "There's nothing I can say bad about that boy," Ferguson said, fighting through tears. "And they all, when they get older, they do things that you don't agree with, but I was proud of everything my son did." According to investigators, Hill was shot multiple times on the 1400 block of West Allegheny Avenue around 4:30 a.m.
Monday. Investigators believe the shooting may have stemmed from a robbery. Ferguson said that she was vacationing in The Poconos when Hyram was gunned down, and she was unable to reach him before he died at Temple Hospital.Hyram Hill played football in high school and at Jireh Prep in South Carolina. "I wasn't even able to get to my baby," Furguson said. "His father was there, his grandmother was there, his friends and family were there, but his mother couldn't get there fast enough." Hyram, a graduate of West Catholic High School in West Philadelphia, worked full time at VisionQuest in Delaware as a mentor for troubled teens, according to his mother.
He was two semesters from graduating with a bachelor's degree from Cheyney University in Delaware County. He played football in high school and at Jireh Prep in North Carolina with aspirations of one day making it to the NFL, Ferguson said.