Teen slain in front of family

About a year and a half ago, Demontre Carroll and his eight siblings moved from Riverside, Calif., to the Las Vegas Valley to try to get away from trouble. But trouble found them Saturday afternoon.

Demontre, a 15-year-old Sierra Vista High School student, was shot and killed about 4 p.m. outside his house in the 8000 block of Platville Street, near Decatur Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road.

His relatives said Sunday that they witnessed the shooting. They said Demontre was gunned down by a 14-year-old former friend.

The family didn't know exactly what the two boys were arguing about, they said, but they overheard the shooter call Demontre a snitch.

The suspect and several other teens drove off after the shooting and were chased briefly by neighbors, but they were unable to catch up with the speeding vehicle, family members said.

Las Vegas police later questioned five people and arrested one suspect who is believed to be 14, Las Vegas police Lt. Lew Roberts said.

The teen is being charged with murder with a deadly weapon, he said.

Demontre was taken to University Medical Center but he later died from his wounds, police said. He was shot twice in the back and once in the arm, family members said.

One of his sisters said Demontre had told the younger boy, "I don't have time for this," and had turned away from him to return home when he was shot in the back.

"This killing was unnecessary," said 68-year-old Lawrence Davison, Demontre's grandfather, with whom the family lives.

They said Demontre was not a gang member. He was a sophomore at Sierra Vista and had been a defensive back for the football team -- a "damn good player," Davison said.

Demontre's family displayed his football helmet, signed by well-wishers, at their house on Sunday. Several friends wrote "R.I.P." and other condolences on the helmet.

"Hey we love U. U in a better place. We will always love U," wrote one friend on the helmet.

Demontre's family is no stranger to tragedy. In 1994, the father of the Carroll siblings was shot and killed in California, said Maraya Carroll, Demontre's 17-year-old sister.

About eight years after their father's death, the siblings' mother died from a massive heart attack, Maraya Carroll said.

Demontre's slaying was more than his older sister could bear Sunday afternoon.

"It's not fair anymore," she said as she wept. "It hurts so bad."

She said Demontre was the one who pushed the family to move to Las Vegas to get a fresh start. He had gotten into some fights and had some minor trouble in school, she said.

But after Saturday's shooting, Maraya Carroll and her siblings want to return to California, she said.

"He wanted to move here and start over," she said tearfully. "Now he can't do that."

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-4638.