Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy calls the shooting of 15-year-old Christopher Newton "horrific." Newton was critically injured in a shooting Tuesday night.

Mayor Duffy met with Christopher Newton's mom and family at Strong Hospital Wednesday night.

He is asking the community to keep this family in its prayers.

"He was shot almost at the car door of his mother's car last night as she was picking him up. He's hanging on. I'm not a doctor. I can't give a medical assessment, but the young man is very, very seriously wounded. I thought his mom showed great strength," Mayor Duffy said.

Newton was critically injured Tuesday just before 10:30 p.m. Police said when they arrived at Central Park near Fifth Street, they found Newton in the grass with a gunshot wound to the head.

Mayor Duffy said his mother and brother were close by when the shooting happened.

Duffy said Newton was a student of the Rochester City School District's "I'M READY" program – a school for at-risk young people.

The city school district also said Newton is an eighth grader at the RCSD's International Finance high School at Franklin.

The mayor met with students at Newton's school. Duffy said Newtown made a big impact on the lives of students.

The mayor hopes police will make an arrest in the case.

"The most important thing for me and Chief Moore and his officers is to find this young man who did this shooting and get him off the streets and hopefully nobody else will have these kinds of injuries or lose their life," Mayor Duffy added.

Police said a dispute may have led to the shooting. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 911.