“Today at 11:26 a.m. 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,” the father wrote in an update on Nov. 7.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Monday.
GoFundMe
TheLas Vegas Review Journalreported that Lewis was found at 2:05 p.m. on Nov. 1 near the intersection of Searles Avenue and North 21st Street. The outlet added that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has not publicly identified the victim.
Jonathan Lewis and his father, as pictured on GoFundMe.GoFundMe
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Speaking with theReview Journal, Lewis Sr. noted that the “whole family is in shock” over his son’s death. At the time of the attack, his son lived in Las Vegas with his mother and had plans to move in with his dad in Austin, Texas.
As Lewis Sr. explained, a larger group attacked his son when two people “weren’t able to hurt him enough, and they all attacked him at once.”
Las Vegas teen Jonathan Lewis.GoFundMe
The teen was described on his GoFundMe as “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 ones,” his dad wrote prior to his death. “We are so grateful for all the love and community support that has poured in for our son and hope that the world will focus on all that love and compassion as a beacon of hope for human relations and place recognition upon how much stronger the love and the spirit of community is than the dark moments of violence.”
“I hope there’s a way that can find forgiveness in their heart and find a way to be able to come to terms with what they’ve done,” he said, adding: “I think there’s just a failure of all of humanity to recognize that we need to be teaching our youth how to coexist.”
source: people.com
