Prosecutors want juveniles arrested in fatal shooting at Las Vegas park tried as adults
Prosecutors are pushing to charge two more teenagers as adults in connection with a fatal shooting in the northwest valley.
Three teens were arrested after a Sept. 15 robbery turned shooting near the basketball court area of East Las Vegas Family Park. Two of them are still undergoing juvenile court proceedings.
Authorities have said that one of the boys, along with 17-year-old Jose Juarez, whose case was automatically moved to the adult legal system, shot at Julio Bravo, also 17, and a girl named Katie Ludo, after trying to steal the girl’s purse for gas money. Police have identified the third teen as a getaway driver.
Bravo, who was also armed at the time of the robbery, according to police, returned fire. Bravo died on the scene, while Ludo and a teen prosecutors said could be charged as an adult in the shooting suffered critical injuries.
When teens aged 16 or older are charged with murder or attempted murder, their cases are “presumptively” transferred to adult court. For children between 14 and 16, a judge must evaluate whether to try them as adults, considering factors such as the severity of the offense, their criminal history, and community ties.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has not named two of the teens because they have not yet been charged as adults.
‘Better than putting the community at risk’
On Wednesday, a teen accused of being one of the shooters appeared before Family Judge Dee Butler.
His lawyer, Charles LoBello, noted that his client, who appeared in a wheelchair and wore a grey sweatsuit, had been recently released from a hospital. Relatives of both the defendant and the victim filled the courtroom.
A prosecutor said Wednesday that she was waiting for LoBello to provide an update on the teen’s psychological evaluation, which is required before the judge makes a certification decision.
“There’s a lot of history that needs to be reviewed,” LoBello said. “I understand there was a drive-by shooting approximately 15 months ago at [the defendant’s] household. The young man is under a tremendous amount of emotional distress as a result of that event, leading to this event.”
LoBello also said the boy had not received sufficient medical care while at the juvenile detention center. Court records indicate that the boy was shot in the upper left thigh.
He requested that his client be transferred back to UMC or be released on house arrest. The prosecutor disagreed.
“This is a murder case, so release back to the community is absolutely inappropriate,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Clarke said. “The detention center has the means and the capabilities to transport juveniles to and from appointments — including surgeries, including physical therapy — and while that might be taxing on the staff as a detention center, it certainly is better than putting the community at risk.”
Butler continued the hearing for two weeks. After the proceeding, about a dozen of the boys’ relatives, one after another, said “we love you,” as the defendant was wheeled out of the courtroom.
Prosecutors said they are also seeking adult certification for the getaway driver. Clarke declined to disclose either of the defendant’s ages.
About a month ago, Bravo’s mother called for the two boys with family court cases to be tried as adults, like Juarez.
“I understand that there are procedural things that they have to finish, but it’s hard to keep coming here, knowing what he did,” Maria Bravo said outside the courtroom. “And now all his family members want to show their faces. Where were they when he needed gas money?”
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
