Eight high school students, aged 13 to 17, have been arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal beating of their 17-year-old classmate.
The incident, which occurred on November 1, stemmed from a dispute over wireless headphones and a vape pen.
Two additional students involved in the fight are yet to be identified.The victim, Jonathan Lewis Jr., succumbed to severe head trauma and other injuries about a week after the altercation.
The coroner’s office ruled the beating a homicide.
The arrests were facilitated with assistance from the local FBI office.Undersheriff Andrew Walsh described a circulating video of the attack as “extremely disturbing,” and investigators used it, along with cooperation from school officials and Clark County School District police, to identify the suspects.
The fight had been prearranged after the victim’s friend had items stolen, leading to the tragic confrontation in a nearby alleyway after school hours.
The authorities did not disclose the names of the juveniles, and discussions are ongoing with the district attorney’s office regarding potential adult charges.
The investigation revealed that the victim, initially not intended to participate in the fight, accompanied his friend to the alley where the violent incident unfolded.
After the brawl, a citizen found the badly beaten and unconscious victim, carrying him back to the school campus, where emergency services were called.
