The tragic and avoidable murder of Jonathan Lewis: Las Vegas teen beaten to death by gang of bullies
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Jonathan Lewis, a 17-year-old Las Vegas high school student, tragically died after being brutally beaten by a huge group of nearly 15 bullies.
Lewis was reportedly pummelled by the bullies near Rancho High School on November 1 when he tried to stand up for a "smaller friend" who had been robbed by the gang, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.
The teenager was rushed to a local hospital after police officers found him at about 2.05 pm that day, reportedly bleeding from the head.
He was placed on life support at University Medical Center, where he died of his injuries on Tuesday, November 7 following many attempts by medical professionals to save his life.
"All I can do is hope there’s a way that can find forgiveness in their [attackers] heart and find a way to be able to come to terms with what they’ve done," expressed the teen's father, who is also named Jonathan Lewis.
Jonathan Lewis' father opens up about tragic ordeal
The grieving father revealed that his son was an aspiring artist who lived in Las Vegas with his mother. However, Lewis was planning to move to live with his father in Austin, Texas.
"Violence just begets more violence and these children don’t even know what they’re doing half the time," the grieving father told 8NewsNow.
Following Lewis' death, a video surfaced that captured the teenager being kicked by a group of around fifteen youths as he lay curled up on the sidewalk. At least two teens stood nearby, filming the attack on their cellphones.
Lewis' father stated that his son was defending a "smaller friend" who had been the victim of group theft and had reportedly been tossed into a garbage bin.
He called Lewis "courageous" and expressed his desire to donate his son's organs to help other people.
“I think there’s just a failure of all of humanity to recognize that we need to be teaching our youth how to coexist,” the father said.
Who has been arrested in Jonathan Lewis’ death?
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have launched a homicide investigation into Lewis’ death, but no arrests have been made so far.
However, Lewis' father claimed that the family was told by investigators that they planned to charge several students involved with the murder.
Lewis' family created a GoFundMe page titled 'Heart of a Champion Our Son,' which has already raised $40,563 out of the $25,000 goal.
“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,” the Fundraiser read.
“Although our hearts are broken and this tragedy is absolutely absurd madness, we want to focus on the legacy of our son. Jonathan was a loving, giving, kind, fierce young man who loved community and caring for others,” it continued.