Eight people have been charged with murder in the death of Johnathan Lewis, a teenager who was beaten by the teen suspects near a high school earlier this month.
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17-year-old Johnathan Lewis Jr., died earlier this month due to blunt force trauma he suffered in the assault near Rancho High School. According to TMZ, the Clark County coroner’s office ruled Lewis’ manner of death as a homicide, leading to the arrests of the eight minors. Officers stated that the suspects were between the ages of 13 and 17 and were students at Rancho High School. The FBI also assisted with the investigation, and officers also identified two more who are believed to be involved in the assault that led to Lewis’ death.
The attack occurred on November 1 after school hours, and officers said Lewis was jumped by a group of students over stolen wireless headphones and maybe a stolen vape pen. Those involved in the fight allegedly agreed to meet and fight in an alley over the accusations. Lewis’s father, Johnathan Lewis Sr., said his son was attacked after he jumped in to help his friend. “Jonathan just wanted to protect his friend. He’s a hero,” he said to USA Today.
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The teen suspects will be prosecuted as adults. Still, police will not release their identities due to their age, and investigators have ruled out the attack as a hate crime because the video shows a group of Black teens attacking Lewis, who is white. A statement was released by the Clark County School District condemned the attack and said they were working with police during the investigation.
“All of CCSD grieves the loss of every student.CCSD does not tolerate violence or threats to students or their safety. We all must come together as a community to address the needs of our students so disagreements are resolved through dialogue rather than violence.”
The teen’s family also launched a GoFundMe page to split the expenses between his parents.
“Our son is 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! 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.”
