17 November 2023 , 11:12
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A dad has been arrested after he allegedly fired a gun into a group of students who had planned to meet for a fight on Halloween. It came one day before a teenager was shockingly beaten to death by classmates in the same city, where fears of escalating bullying and teen violence are leading to calls for action.
Police arrested Octavio Arredondo, 34, on November 1 after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was called to reports of a shooting the day before at around 2.25pm. On November 1, officers responded to Cortney Junior High School to aid the Clark County School District Police Department in investigating the shooting, KVVU-TV said.
A number of witnesses and victims were interviewed and video from a nearby residence was also reviewed. Arredondo was charged with child abuse, three counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a gun from within a vehicle in a prohibited area.
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Police arrested Octavio Arredondo, 34 (LVMPD)One witness told police he heard a "group of juveniles fighting in the street" followed by the sound of gunshots. A juvenile who told police he was fired at said he thought the suspect was a parent or guardian at the school, while another said they believed the suspect was the dad of a child at the school that had previously been threatened.
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The fight involving the juveniles revolved around a continued feud, according to student records. Some of the reports showed "bullying, fighting and racial slurs being said between the two parties" and police gang detectives became involved in the investigation.
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Arredondo was charged with child abuse, three counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a gun from within a vehicle in a prohibited area (Google Maps)A female minor who was fired upon told police "a fight that was supposed to have occurred between the Mexicans and the blacks" and that the incident had been bubbling up and waiting to happen over the course of a year. Another juvenile told police it was Arredondo who was the person that hung "his arm out of the window and shoot a firearm back at him."
Police conducted a vehicle stop on November 1. During an interview, police said Arredondo was "uncooperative and needed some time to calm down."
Jonathan Lewis, 17 was beaten and killed outside Rancho High School, Las Vegas this month (GoFundMe)
Youth violence in Las Vegas is getting hard to control, an official said (GoFundMe)Arredondo also claimed he was home with his wife at the time of the shooting and that video would provide him with an alibi. He "repeatedly denied being involved" and said no guns being found in his car was "guaranteed."
Police said a tan FN 45 tactical handgun was "stowed away under the plastic centered dash protector" in the car after a search warrant was executed.
One day before hero teen's shocking death
The alleged incident came one day before hero teen Jonathan Lewis, 17 was beaten and killed in an alleyway outside Rancho High School, Las Vegas, by a group of 10 to 15 classmates, as he tried to stick up for a smaller friend. Teenagers ranging from ages 13 to 18 were arrested and face murder charges. The incident was said to have been over a set of headphones and a vape stolen from either Jonathan or his friends.
Jonathan Lewis is attacked by the large group of teens (WallStreetSilv/Twitter)Jonathan was kicked, punched and stomped on the ground and died six days later from head injuries.
His dad, Jonathan Lewis Sr, said his son "tried to help a smaller child who was being bullied".
Lewis died in hospital on November 7 and the executive director of the Clark County Education Association said that violence in local schools had "gotten out of hand." "What we have seen is an escalation of violence," he said.
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Footage showed the victim throwing a punch before he was surrounded by a large group that was seen kicking and hitting him over and over again.