Eight students are charged with MURDER over fatal bully beating of Jonathan Lewis, 17, two weeks ago in Las Vegas: Cops say teens organized back-alley brawl over stolen headphones and vape
Eight teenagers have been charged with murder following the fatal beating of a fellow student who agreed to fight the group in a row over stolen wireless headphones.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, was attacked by a gang of 10 on November 1. He died in hospital on November 7 and the charges were announced on Tuesday.
Lt. Jason Johansson of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said all the people involved — believed to be 10 — were students at Rancho High School.
Johansson described a viral video showing the assault as “devoid of humanity.”
Lewis’ father said he “can’t watch” the clip.
Johansson said a citizen found Lewis unconscious after the assault, which took place in an alley near the school, and brought him back to the school.
Lewis was then taken to UMC, where doctors determined he had suffered “non-survivable head trauma.” Fox 5 Vegas reported.
Johansson said the fight was over stolen wireless headphones and possibly a vape pen, which were taken from the victim’s friends. According to police, all parties involved agreed to meet in the alley to fight.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, died in hospital on November 7, after the November 1 fight
“As soon as a blow is given, ten subjects immediately swarm towards him,” he said.
He added that the department has been able to identify approximately 10 people involved in the murder and that eight of them have been “positively” identified as suspects.
Johansson said the process is underway to try the eight as adults.
LVMPD will release photos of two individuals they want to find who participated in the assault but have not yet been identified.
Johansson called on anyone with video of the fight to come forward.
“There’s a good chance there’s more video footage out there that we don’t have,” he said, urging parents to talk to their children about what happened and not “bury your head in the sand.”
Jonathan Lewis Sr. said he is still waiting for answers as to why no arrests have been made in the alleged death of his son, Jonathan Lewis Jr.
Lewis Sr., who lives in Austin, Texas, said his son was the target of the fight after he rushed to help another student who was being bullied by the bullies.
He noted that there are “other videos that have not been released to the public” that offer a different view of the incident. He said Jonathan was initially attacked by some students who the 17-year-old shook off “because he was so strong.” ‘
“But then all the other kids joined in and then beat him to death,” he added to NewsNation.
A large percentage of the crowd appears to be black, leading to some inflammatory comments about the attack being racially motivated, despite there being no evidence that this is the case.
Lewis Sr condemned the racist reactions some have had to the images, which he branded ‘a shame to the memory of my son’.
He added to the Review Journal that he demands justice and accountability for those involved, and claimed the gang of bullies were involved in other similar incidents.
‘This is not a one-off, no. We know there was another incident the Tuesday before with these exact children,” he said.
Clark County School District police spokesman Lt. Bryan Zink did not confirm that the footage of the attack was of Lewis, but said it should serve as a grim reminder of the dangers of bullying at school.
“Parents need to stand up and talk to their children,” he said. “It’s just really sad.”
School district officials have been warning about physical bullying for months — and Clark County school police have seized 20 guns and 52 knives so far this year.
Jonathan Lewis Sr condemned the brutal attack but said some racist comments from internet users are a ‘disgrace to the memory of my son’
In shocking footage of the attack shared on social media, around 15 bullies attacked a student, believed to be 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis. Police have not officially verified the images.
As the violent scenes escalate, utter chaos ensues as the victim lies on the ground, beaten until unconscious.
Footage was also captured from an additional cell phone that has since been posted to X
After Jonathan is knocked to the ground, one of his friends tries to intervene and stop the brutal attack before he flees
Lewis Sr has since had a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of his son’s untimely death, and he said the proceeds – which have topped $65,000 – will be split between Jonathan’s mother and father’s families.
Amid calls for accountability over Lewis’ death, the school district said in a statement to parents that it declined to provide additional information while the investigation is ongoing but that it “regrets the loss of every student.”
“While we cannot provide additional information as this is an active police investigation, please know that district leadership and school police are working with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the District Attorney’s office to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions,” the statement said.
“CCSD will not tolerate violence or threats to students or their safety,” the statement continued.
“We must all come together as a community to meet the needs of our students so that disagreements are resolved through dialogue rather than violence.”
After it emerged that Lewis Jr. was attacked for standing up for another student, the father said he was proud of Jonathan’s actions.
“Jonathan knew the power of love, that’s what we learn in our family,” he continued.
“Love is the greatest force and we protect our family members, and have a deep sense of community, and I think that just inspired him to do that.”
When asked why police didn’t take action quickly, he said he has been in “close contact” with Las Vegas police but is frustrated with the way the investigation is going.
“They have not yet given me a reason why they have not made an arrest yet,” he said, adding that investigators continue to work “diligently.”
“I can tell you that I have spoken to these detectives and they are very effective at their job. There are many more unique factors involved.
“Unfortunately, the school rounded up some of these kids even though they were told not to, and you know, I think they were just trying to help, but that ended up causing a lot of problems, so the investigation became more complex. ‘
The teen’s father said his heroic actions in helping another bullied student may have been fueled by his family’s military service.
According to the fundraiser set up after Lewis’ death, which names the teen’s girlfriend, his decision to take action was because the other bullied student he was helping was much smaller and had items stolen from him by the group.
The page was written while Jonathan was still on life support and describes him as “a kind, loving, gentle young man with the heart of a champion and the brightest loving energy that draws people to him with love.”
‘He is an aspiring artist, a devoted big brother and a fierce protector of loved ones!
“We are so grateful for all the love and support from the community that has poured in for our son and hope that the world will focus on all that love and compassion as a beacon of hope for human relationships and recognize how much stronger the love and the spirit of community is then the dark moments of violence.
“Love wins, our son is a champion of love and family and the resilient spirit of human perseverance and the will to be good, kind and loving!”