Las Vegas police have release two images of teenage thugs that are wanted for the murder of a schoolboy – after the District Attorney defended the decision to try a 13-year-old among eight others that were arrested.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, was set upon by a mob of 10 on November 1 outside Rancho High School, Las Vegas. He died in hospital on November 7 – and on Tuesday, eight arrests and charges were announced.
The teenagers, ranging from ages 13 to 18, were charged with murder after the fatal beating of fellow student Lewis, who was remembered as a ‘gentle young man.’
The fatal fight erupted over stolen wireless headphones and possibly a vape pen.
Now, police are asking for help to identify two more people of interest.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, died in the hospital days after he was attacked by a group of 10 teens
Police are seeking this person of interest – following the murder of schoolboy Lewis
Police are seeking this person of interest – after eight others were charged with murder
Lt. Jason Johansson of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said all the people involved — believed to be 10 — were students of Rancho High School.
The teenager’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 who have already been charged is a 13-year-old – who has been put forward to be tried as an adult, DA 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 murder is what made him make the final call.
The District Attorney also said that there are videos of the beating which are far worse than the already-horrific smack down posted on social media.
All eight defendants – which include a set of siblings – appeared in Clark County Family Court electronically on Wednesday.
The four oldest teens in the group will automatically face adult charges – and the younger four will face a juvenile court judge in December to determine if they are allowed to be tried as adults.
On Wednesday outside court, the uncle of one of the 16-year-olds that is charged with murder told 8 News Now reporters: ‘Nobody knows who did what. All you see is a bunch of kids in a crowd. You don’t know who is who or what is what.’
Another angle of person one, whom Las Vegas police are attempting to find
Jonathan Lewis (pictured) died from his injuries after being swarmed on by a gang of school bullies in Las Vegas
Officials in the school district have been warning about physical bullying for months – and Clark County school police have confiscated 20 guns and 52 knives so far this year.
John Vellardita, who is the executive director of the Clark County Education Association, warned lawmakers on March 23 that violence in schools had ‘gotten out of hand.’
Vellardita said: ‘The culture in these schools has gotten out of hand in terms of student behavior and what we have seen is an escalation of violence.’
Lt. Johansson described a viral video showing the beating as ‘void of humanity’, while Lewis’s father said he ‘can’t watch’ the clip.
Revealing further details of the attack which has shocked the nation, Johansson said that a citizen found Lewis unresponsive after the beating, which happened in an alleyway near the school, and brought him back to the school.
Lewis was then taken to UMC where doctors determined that he had suffered non-survivable head trauma.
‘As soon as a punch is thrown, ten subjects immediately swarm him,’ he said, noting that investigators were able to identify ten subjects, with eight of those ‘positively identified’ as suspects.
Footage from the fight was uploaded to social media – and police have been attempting 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 topped $100,000 – will be split between Jonathan’s mother’s and father’s families.
The funds are to be used ‘for healing’, the GoFundMe page says, as well as setting up the foundation.
According to the fundraiser set up after Lewis’ death, which cites the teen’s girlfriend, his decision to leap into action was because the other bullied student he helped was far smaller, and had items stolen from him by the group.
The page described him as ‘a kind, loving, gentle young man who has the heart of a champion and the brightest loving energy that attracts people to him with love.’
The family, writing before his death, said: ‘He’s an aspiring artist, devoted big brother, and a fierce protector of love ones!
‘We are so grateful for all the love and community support 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 relations and place recognition upon how much stronger the love and the spirit of community is than the dark moments of violence.
‘Love wins our son is a champion of love and family and the resilient spirit of human perseverance and will to be good and kind and loving!’