Leslie Santiago says life has been filled with “pain and suffering” since her 19-year-old son, Joshua Boston Martinez, was shot and killed earlier this month in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood.
“He was only a boy,” Santiago said. “I don’t even know what else to say or think.”
Santiago said she was awakened in the middle of the night on May 4, 2026, and told her only son had been gunned down.
“I said why? My son had no problems with nobody,” Santiago said. “Why did that happen? My son didn’t have any problems with nobody. He was a sweetheart. He always respect others.”
Police said Boston Martinez was shot just before 1 a.m. on the 3200 block of G Street in Kensington.
Officers found him lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the torso. Investigators also found shell casings scattered across the street and sidewalk.
Boston Martinez was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Santiago said her son had been with friends when he was shot and she believes someone knows more about what happened.
“Somebody knows something and they’re not trying to say what really happened,” Santiago said.
Santiago described her son as respectful and hardworking. She said he played baseball in high school and had recently started working for Amazon.
“All I have is memories,” Santiago said. “Every time I walk through the door, I see him laying on the couch in the morning sleeping, or constantly hear him saying, ‘Mom, what are you cooking today?’”
Two men now face charges in connection with the killing.
With a preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Santiago said she is hoping for justice.
“I want them to do their job and I want justice for my son,” Santiago said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.