Las Vegas police have released two images of teenage thugs wanted for the murder of a schoolboy – after the district attorney defended the decision to charge a 13-year-old among eight others who were arrested.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, was attacked by a gang of 10 people outside Rancho High School, Las Vegas, on November 1. He died in hospital on November 7 – and eight arrests and charges were announced on Tuesday.
The teens, ranging in age from 13 to 18, were charged with murder following the fatal assault of fellow student Lewis, who was remembered as a “gentle young man.”
The fatal fight broke out over stolen wireless headphones and possibly a vape pen.
Police are now asking for help to identify two more persons of interest.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, died in hospital days after being attacked by a group of ten teenagers
The police are looking for this interesting person – after the murder of schoolboy Lewis
Police are looking for this person after eight others were charged with murder
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.
The teen’s cause of death was listed as “complications of multiple blunt force injuries” and his manner of death was confirmed as homicide.
Among the eight teens already charged is a 13-year-old — who has been brought forward to be tried as an adult, District Attorney Steve Wolfson said.
Wolfson defended his decision: “We’re not talking about a six-year-old. We’re not talking about an eight-year-old.’ He said the nature of the brutal killing led him to make the final decision.
The prosecutor also said there are videos of the beating that are far worse than the already gruesome punch on social media.
All eight defendants – including several siblings – appeared electronically in Clark County Family Court on Wednesday.
The four oldest teens in the group will automatically be charged as adults — and the youngest four will appear before a juvenile court judge in December to determine whether they can be tried as adults.
Outside court Wednesday, the uncle of one of the 16-year-olds accused of murder said 8 News Now reporters: ‘Nobody knows who did what. All you see are a bunch of kids in a crowd. You don’t know who is who or what is what.’
Another angle from person one, who the Las Vegas police are trying to find
Jonathan Lewis (pictured) died from his injuries after being swarmed by a gang of school bullies in Las Vegas
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.
John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, warned lawmakers on March 23 that school violence had “spiraled out of control.”
Vellardita said: ‘The culture in these schools is out of control in terms of student behavior and what we have seen is an escalation of violence.’
Lt. Johansson described a viral video showing the assault as “empty of humanity,” while Lewis’ father said he “couldn’t watch” the clip.
Revealing further details of the attack that has shocked the nation, 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.
“As soon as a blow is thrown, 10 subjects immediately swarm towards him,” he said, noting that investigators were able to identify 10 subjects, eight of whom were “positively identified” as suspects.
Footage of the fight has been uploaded to social media – and police have been trying to identify the individuals. So far, eight have been charged with murder
Lewis Sr has since set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of his son’s untimely death, and he said the proceeds – which have surpassed $100,000 – will be split between the families of Jonathan’s mother and father.
The money is to be used “for healing,” the GoFundMe page says, and to set up the foundation.
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 described 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.”
The family wrote before his death: ‘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!”