Adam Escalante, who says he's a very close friend of Solis, was among the teens gathered at the Alvin D. Baggett Community Center on Monday afternoon to mourn the fallen teen.
Escalante says he and Solis were playing basketball when a group left to play soccer at a nearby field.
"I wish I had stayed," he said, having heard the gunshots and running as quickly as he could back to the basketball court. "I was just praying it wasn't him. I saw him on the floor, and I just dropped down crying. It hurt me deeply just seeing him like that. I never thought I would see him like that."
Escalantes' mother, Jennifer Hernandez, is worried about the teenagers' safety in Galena Park and wants police to increase patrol.
"The city needs to have more police presence," she said, fighting back tears. "That's why all these things are going on."
"I'm very scared. Very scared, and for that mother who lost their child yesterday," Lolita Dixon, another mom, said. "I think about my child."
Prosecutors say three eyewitnesses identified Elizalde as the shooter, and there is surveillance video from the rec center.
The defendant did not appear in his initial court setting Monday afternoon. The magistrate judge said he was told Elizalde was being combative in custody.
The magistrate set his bond at $500,000.
At his family home, a woman who identified herself as Elizaldes' sister says she was aware of the charges but didn't know anything about her brother's arrest.
For news updates, follow Miya Shay on Facebook, X and Instagram.