A teenager has died days after he was brutally beaten by a massive gang of thugs near a Las Vegas high school.
The attack occurred on November 1 near Rancho High School when 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis was beaten by about fifteen other teenagers.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his family, he was allegedly targeted after he stood up for a minor friend who had just been robbed by the mob.
Police officers found him around 2:05 p.m. that day, bleeding from the head.
The teenager was placed on life support at University Hospital, where he died on Tuesday after doctors made several attempts to save his life.
“I can only hope that there is a way to find forgiveness in their hearts and find a way to come to terms with what they did,” the boy’s father, also named Jonathan Lewis, said of his attackers son.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, died in hospital just days after he was attacked by a group of about 15 other teenagers
The boy’s father, also Jonathan Lewis, said his son confronted the group after they stole something from his friend
A frightening video posted on social media showed a group of youths standing over Jonathan’s body and kicking him as he lay on the sidewalk
Speaking to 8NewsNow, Lewis said his son had moved back and planned to move to Austin, Texas, to be with his father.
The teenager was living with his mother in Las Vegas at the time of his death.
“Violence just breeds more violence and half the time these kids don’t even know what they’re doing,” Lewis said.
After the teenager’s death, a video circulated on social media showing the moment a fight broke out.
It shows a group of about a dozen teenagers kicking the 17-year-old as he lay curled up on the sidewalk.
At least two teenagers stood nearby and filmed the attack on their cell phones.
Lewis claimed his son stood up for a “smaller friend” who had something stolen by the group and then thrown into a trash can.
He described his son as “brave” and said he wanted to donate his organs to save others.
The attack occurred on the afternoon of November 1st near Rancho High School. Police discovered that Jonathan was bleeding from his head
Speaking to a local news outlet, Lewis said he hoped his son’s death would spark discussion about the epidemic of youth violence in Las Vegas
There have been no arrests, but Lewis claims an investigator assured the family that authorities plan to charge several students involved in the brawl with murder.
The heartbroken father added: “I think humanity as a whole just hasn’t realized that we need to teach our youth how to live together.”
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have launched a murder investigation.
There have been no arrests so far, but Lewis said the family has been informed by investigators that they plan to charge several students involved in the murder.
Lewis created a GoFundMe page titled “Heart of a Champion Our Son” where he posted a photo of himself holding his son’s hand in the hospital the day he died.
“He will always be loved like his father, I will carry him in my heart forever, shine even brighter, love even more and work all my life to bring peace to this world,” Lewis wrote.
The 17-year-old was an aspiring artist and a devoted older brother.
“Although our hearts are broken and this tragedy is absolutely absurd madness, we want to focus on our son’s legacy,” Lewis wrote.
“Jonathan was a loving, generous, kind, fierce young man who loved community and cared about others.”