Who is Jonathan Lewis? Las Vegas Teen Dies After School Attack

A teenager has died after he was attacked by a 15-strong mob of other students outside his Las Vegas school.

Nevada schoolboy Jonathan Lewis, who was 17, was severely beaten in the attack on November 1 and was rushed to hospital where he remained on life support until succumbing to his injuries last week. The boy's father, also named Jonathan Lewis, said the teenager was targeted because he had tried to stand up for a smaller boy who was being bullied.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Department's homicide unit is investigating the case, though no arrests have been made so far. The victim's family say investigators have told them they are planning to charge several students with murder, according to the New York Post.

Newsweek has reached out to Las Vegas Metro Police Department by email seeking further information and comment.

The problem of bullying in schools has been the subject of much debate across the U.S. recently, and Lewis' death comes just months after an 11-year-old schoolgirl was left with severe chemical burns after another child doused her with an unidentified acid in the playground of their school in Detroit, Michigan.

One in five students reports being bullied in the U.S., according to 2019 data from the National Center for Educational Statistics.

Local TV station 8NewsNow covered Lewis' death, and aired footage that was reportedly filmed by a bystander showing a large group swarming around the teen to beat and kick him as he lay on the ground.

The TV report was shared on X, the social media site previously known as Twitter, by editor Jack Posobiec who works for the conservative media company Human Events and made reference to the victim's ethnicity.

Several other X accounts also referenced the victim's ethnicity and those of the alleged perpetrators, including a post by the account End Wokeness.

However, authorities have not yet indicated that race was a factor in the killing.

Responding to the End Wokeness post, political writer Brian Krassenstein wrote: "It's horrible that this kid was killed. I can not imagine what his family is going through right now." But, he added, "this fight had no indication, that I am aware of, of having anything to do with race.

"I just find it ironic that the 'End Wokeness' account that constantly complains that 'woke people make everything about race,' is making this tragedy all about race."

The incident happened shortly after 2:00 p.m. in the street, just outside the school gates of Rancho High School. Police were called following the attack, and witnesses told 8NewsNow that the boy was carried into the school's parking lot where paramedics battled to save his life with CPR before rushing him to the hospital.

Lewis' father created a fundraising drive on the website GoFundMe in a bid to help his stricken son. Describing how the attack unfolded, he said: "We have been given a statement from our son's girlfriend that what occurred was that one of his smaller friends had something stolen by this group of 15 and they threw the small boy in the trash can and our son confronted them and he was attacked by them. He's a courageous young man."

He appealed for people to be "kind and loving" and added that "we denounce violence as a means to resolve sociological conflict, we believe community members can coexist peacefully."

The father also paid tribute to his boy saying: "Our son is a kind, loving, gentle young man who has the heart of a champion and the brightest loving energy that attracts people to him with love! He's an aspiring artist, devoted big brother, and a fierce protector of love[d] ones!"

But the saddest of updates followed on November 8. Posting a picture of himself holding his son's hand at his hospital bedside, he wrote: "Today at 11:26 am my son was pronounced dead 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."

Clark County School District (CCSD), which oversees the victim's school, sent an emailed statement to Newsweek, saying: "All of CCSD grieves the loss of every student. While we can not provide additional information, as this is an active police investigation, please know that district leadership and school police are working with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and the district attorney's office so those involved are held accountable for their actions. LVMPD is the lead investigative agency.

"CCSD does not tolerate violence or threats to students or their safety. We all must come together as a community to address the needs of our students so disagreements are resolved through dialogue rather than violence."

Update 11/14/23 11:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a comment from Clark County School District.