Bail hearing delayed for teen suspect in fatal Las Vegas park shooting

Bail arguments were delayed Monday for a teen accused of shooting a boy while attempting to steal a girl’s handbag.

Jose Juarez, 17, and two other juveniles are suspected of searching parks for robbery victims and carrying out the killing.

The victim was Julio Bravo, also 17. The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. Sept. 15 in the basketball court area of East Las Vegas Family Park, near East Washington Avenue and North Lamb Boulevard.

The other two teens’ identities have not been released because the court has not yet certified them as adults.

Defense attorney Dowon Kang asked to reserve the bail hearing until after the preliminary hearing, scheduled for Oct. 2.

Court records show Juarez remains detained due to the murder charge he faces.

Kang said after court that at this point, his client only faces allegations.

“He enjoys the presumption of innocence,” the attorney said.

Maria Bravo, the victim’s mother, spoke to reporters about her son following the brief hearing.

“I have to be his voice now because he doesn’t have one,” she said.

She added: “He wasn’t planning on dying. He shouldn’t have died.”

Bravo was loving, his mother said, and motivated others.

“It’s extremely sad to see a family so broken and to lose a young child to violence,” said Ofelia Markarian, an attorney for Bravo’s family. “It’s really, really sad. But we are happy that the defendant is still in custody, hasn’t been released and our streets are safer because he is still in custody.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.