A 16-year-old boy who was shot dead last week after a scuffle in a park in the East Valley has been identified.
Jovanni Grimes was shot and killed around 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Lewis Family Park, near East Charleston Boulevard and Tree Line Drive. The Clark County Coroner’s Office said the Las Vegas teenager died of a gunshot wound to the face and his death was deemed a homicide.
Las Vegas city commissioners told police they had previously had problems with groups of young people coming to fight in the park.
Thursday’s brawl eventually spilled over to the 6400 block of American Beauty Avenue, where police said Grimes was later found.
Police said on Friday they believed Grimes had exchanged gunfire with one of the two people he was fighting, and that drugs may have been a factor in the murder.
The other two men involved, who police said appeared to be between 16 and 18, fled in a car described as a small black or dark blue Toyota or Honda with black rims and a noisy exhaust. No arrests had been made on Monday morning.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family pay for Grimes’ funeral expenses.
Anyone with information is urged to call homicide detectives at 702-828-3521 or 702-385-5555 to remain anonymous.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at [email protected] or 702-383-0381. To follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
