A Las Vegas teenager has died after a group of 15 people allegedly beat him outside his high school.
Jonathan Lewis Jr, 17, died at a University Medical Centre where he was receiving treatment after he suffered numerous injuries in the attack a week earlier, his father told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“We’re all just trying to process this,” Jonathan Lewis Sr, 38, told the paper by phone. “The whole family is in shock.”
The teen's cause of death has not been released as of Monday morning.
"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," Mr Lewis wrote on 7 November.
It's still unclear exactly what happened on the day Jonathan was attacked, but his father believes the fight started after his son stood up "for one of his smaller friends."
“A couple (of people) attacked him, and they weren’t able to hurt him enough, and they all attacked him at once,” Mr Lewis said.
Jonathan Lewis, 17, of Las Vegas, was beaten by a group of 15 attackers near a city high school, and later died from his injuries— (GoFundMe)
The teen was transported to a hospital for life-threatening injuries on 1 November after police found him bleeding from the head near the high school.
Police are investigating the attack and are working to identify the participants in the brawl. No arrests have been made as of Friday.
The father described his son as a "loving, giving, kind, fierce young man who loved community and caring for others," according to the paper.
“This horrific tragedy is reflective of the divisive, conflict based, uncaring state that our society and humanity is currently facing with how we interact with our community,” he wrote. “Empathy and love are great strength and cowardly violence is pathetic.”
A video that allegedly captured a portion of the fight began circulating online this month. In the footage, a young man is surrounded by a large group of people who shove him into a fence, push him to the ground, and then proceed to pummel him.
It is unclear when the video was shot, but an analysis by the Las Vegas Review-Journal revealed that the parking lot depicted in the footage was located near the high school.
Mr Lewis described his son as "an aspiring artist, devoted big brother, and a fierce protector of love ones" who had been considering enlisting with the US Navy to follow in his grandfather's footsteps.
"We are so grateful for all the love and community support that has poured in for our son," Mr Lewis said. "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."
