Authorities in Nevada announced this week that eight teens have been arrested and charged with murder for allegedly beating a 17-year-old to death near a Las Vegas High School. Now they’re looking for two more suspects.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the area near Rancho High School at around 2:05 p.m. Lt. Jason Johansson said that the fight occurred in an alley near the school. A citizen found the victim, Jonathan Lewis, unresponsive and carried him to the school prompting the emergency call.
Johansson said authorities believe the fight was over a stolen pair of headphones or possibly a stolen marijuana vape pen. These items were allegedly taken from the victim or the victim’s friends during incidents earlier in the week and Lewis has agreed to meet and fight.
Once they arrived in the alley after school ended at Rancho High School, Lewis removed clothing and began to fight one person, Johansson explained. Then more came and began beating him.
Due to extent of injuries, homicide investigators were called. A video of the event also began circulating online after the incident. It depicted 10 subjects kicking, stomping on and punching Lewis as he laid on the ground, not defending himself to the point where he became unconscious.
Johansson called the footage “very graphic and, in my opinion, very void of humanity.”
By Nov. 7, the victim’s family told authorities that Lewis was medically brain dead at UMC Hospital and that they had decided to donate his organs. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma homicide.
Along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Las Vegas authorities conducted an apprehension program Tuesday during which they arrested eight of the suspects depicted in the video. All were aged 13 to 17 and all were booked into Clark County Juvenile Hall on charges of murder.
Johansson said the case has been turned over to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office.
“It is far from over,” he added. The lieutenant said Tuesday there is also no evidence that Lewis’ murder was a hate crime.
Las Vegas police Wednesday posted information about the two remaining suspects on social media.
“Detectives still need help identifying two outstanding persons of interest in the homicide and are asking the public for assistance,” said the post, which included footage of the suspects. “Anyone with any information about these two individuals is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers of Nevada, Inc. by phone at 702-385-5555, or their website at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.”