By Mackenzie Tatananni for Dailymail.Com
21:41 November 12, 2023, updated 22:39 November 12, 2023
- Jonathan Lewis, 17, died in hospital a few days after being beaten by a group of around fifteen other young people.
- His father said he was attacked after confronting the group when they stole something from his friend.
- The boy was described as a budding artist who loved “taking care of others.”
A teenager has died days after being horribly beaten by a gang of bullies near a Las Vegas high school.
The attack occurred on November 1 near Rancho High School, when Jonathan Lewis, 17, was hit by around fifteen other young people.
He was allegedly targeted after defending a boyfriend who had just been robbed by a mob, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.
Police found him that day around 2:05 p.m., bleeding from the head.
The teen was placed on life support at University Medical Center, where he died Tuesday after doctors tried multiple times to save his life.
“All I can do is hope that there is a way to find forgiveness in their hearts and find a way to accept what they did,” said the boy’s father, also named Jonathan Lewis, about his son’s attackers. .
Speaking to 8NewsNow, Lewis said his son usually stayed alone and planned to move to Austin, Texas be with his father.
The teen was living with his mother in Las Vegas at the time of his death.
“Violence begets more violence and these kids don’t even know what they’re doing half the time,” Lewis said.
The day after the teenager’s death, a video circulated on social media showing the moment a fight broke out.
It shows a group of a dozen youths kicking the 17-year-old as he cowers on the sidewalk.
At least two teenagers stood nearby and filmed the attack on their cell phones.
Lewis claimed her son was defending a “boyfriend” who had something stolen by the group and then thrown in a trash can.
He described his son as “brave” and said he wanted to donate his organs to save other people.
The heartbroken father added: “I think all of humanity fails to recognize that we need to teach our young people how to coexist.”
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have opened a homicide investigation.
So far, no arrests have been made, but Lewis said investigators have informed the family that they plan to charge several students involved in the killing.
Lewis created a GoFundMe page titled “Heart of a Champion, Our Son,” where he posted a photo of himself holding his son’s hand at the hospital the day he died.
“He will always be as loved as his father, I will always hold him in my heart, I will shine even brighter, I will love even more and I will work all my life to bring peace to this world,” Lewis wrote.
The 17-year-old was a budding artist and a devoted older brother.
“Even though our hearts are broken and this tragedy is absolutely senseless madness, we want to focus on our son’s legacy,” Lewis wrote.
“Jonathan was a loving, generous, kind and fierce young man who loved the community and cared for others.”