On Wednesday, November 1, a 17-year-old Las Vegas native, Jonathan Lewis Jr., tragically passed away following a brutal episode of violence inflicted by an estimated group of 15 individuals near Rancho High School. Confirmation of this was made on Tuesday by Jonathan Lewis Sr., the victim’s father.
“Today at 11:26 am my son was pronounced dead he will always be so loved as his dad I’ll forever hold him in my heart, shine even brighter, love even more and work all my life to bring peace into this world,” Lewis Sr. wrote.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the teenage boy tragically passed away while undergoing treatment at the University Medical Center due to his injuries. Lewis Sr. stated that the altercation began when his son defended a smaller friend, resulting in a physical attack by multiple assailants.
“Jonathan stood up for one of his smaller friends,” Lewis said.
“A couple (of people) attacked him, and they weren’t able to hurt him enough, and they all attacked him at once,” he said.
Despite the severity of the incident, no arrests have been reported.
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The family is in shock, grappling with the loss of Lewis Jr., whom his father described as a kind, loving, and community-oriented individual aspiring to pursue art and possibly follow in his grandfather’s footsteps in the military. They are struggling to come to terms with this difficult situation.
“This horrific tragedy is reflective of the divisive, conflict-based, uncaring state that our society and humanity is currently facing with how we interact with our community,” Lewis wrote. “Empathy and love are great strength and cowardly violence is pathetic.”
“We denounce violence as a means to sociological conflict and believe being living, caring, respectful, kind, compassion, and caring are the great strength of community and emphasize that those are the values that the warriors of our family teach,” he added.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office has yet to officially confirm Lewis Jr.’s death, pending the ongoing police investigation and mounting public outcry in response to this tragic event. Further details are awaited.
A fundraising campaign has been launched by Lewis Sr. to support his family, which already raised almost $25,000.
From GoFundMe:
I’m sure many of you have seen the news in Las Vegas of our son who is in critical condition and on life support after what the news is describing as 15 people attacking him. We can’t release any other information yet except to say that we denounce violence as a means to resolve sociological conflict, we believe community members can coexist peacefully, and we love our son and all children with all our hearts!
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. 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!
