Residents mourn teen killed in Las Vegas melee

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Published Saturday, April 23, 2016 | 12:56 p.m.

Updated Sunday, April 24, 2016 | 2:12 p.m.

An argument at an east valley recreation center early Saturday morning quickly escalated into gunfire and stabbings that left five people wounded, one fatally, according to Metro Police.

More than 50 bullet casings were recovered at the Hollywood Recreation Center at 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd., near Charleston Boulevard, Lt. Dan McGrath said.

Capt. Jack Owen shared details about the incident during a news conference Saturday night at which police, family members of two people involved and religious leaders gathered to send a “message of peace.”

Police responded to calls from two nearby locations about 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

In the 5700 block of Pavot Court, near East Vegas Valley Drive east of Nellis Boulevard, officers found a man who had been stabbed multiple times, including once in the neck. He was taken to Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center and is expected to recover.

Police were called about a minute later from the 5800 block of Pacific Shores Drive, near Sahara Avenue and Sloan Lane, where they found four Hispanic teenagers in a truck who were suffering from gunshot wounds.

Desert Pines High School student Angelo Barboza, 15, of North Las Vegas, died at the scene; the other three were taken to University Medical Center, police said. One remained in critical condition Saturday night.

Police arrested a teenager on one count of murder, Metro said. His identity has not been released due to his age, and details of his arrest were not made public.

At least seven people in their teens and 20s were involved in the shootout, Owen said. Most were younger than 18.

Investigators have not determined how many guns were used or what initiated the disagreement. Anyone with information is asked to come forward, police said.

'This has got to stop'

At Saturday’s news conference, religious leaders and family members of Barboza's and another one of the people involved stood behind police. Some wept and held white candles that were protected from the breeze by disposable cups.

Owen, who leads Metro’s northeast area command, called the incident a “horrible tragedy for anyone involved.”

“This has got to stop,” he said. “Violence is not the answer.”

He pleaded for parents to communicate better with their children and spend time with them.

“How are they getting access to weapons and why are they out here with no supervision after midnight?” he said.

Deputy Chief Jim Owens extended the plea to residents region-wide.

“This is important; every one of us should be feeling a sense of urgency when we see 15-year-olds dying on our streets,” he said.

Owens encouraged residents to report suspicious activities.

“The police, we’re there to serve, we’re there to help, but we can’t be everywhere at the same time,” he said.

Metro increased patrols in the area and is looking into how to best address the issues, which include teens scattering when spotted by officers but later returning, Owen said.

A family grieves and asks for peace

At the center about 15 hours after the shooting, and as the sun descended, kids dangled from a swing set and two boys took turns riding a skateboard downhill on their stomachs.

“That was fun,” exclaimed one.

The mood was much darker for Barboza’s family.

“I just want everybody to know that violence is not the answer, and we don’t want revenge; we just want everybody to be at peace,” Valentino Cruz, Barboza’s older brother, told reporters as he choked up.

Cruz described his brother a “calm and quiet” teenager who liked playing video games and was not the type to pick a fight.

The family knew he was out on the streets, but not with whom, he said.

Crystal Barboza cried as she further described her son as a “fun kid” who always smiled and hardly ever went out.

“(I) was able to say I love him,” she said. “’I love you, too, Mom. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

“A couple of hours never came; he’s dead,” Crystal Barboza said.

Religious leaders surrounded the crying families, and prayers in English and Spanish overlapped.

A young boy, who wore a blue sweatshirt with its hood on his head, stood next to Crystal Barboza as they prayed and began to cry. A clergyman approached him and gave him a hug.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Metro at 702-828-3521 or via email at [email protected]. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com.