Students, others pay tribute to boy killed near Henderson school

Parents, residents and students from Mannion Middle School gathered at a memorial Tuesday for a 13-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a car while on the sidewalk in front of the Henderson school a day earlier.

A small group of kids rode up to the memorial for Rex Patchett on scooters and bikes at about 6 p.m. Cars pulled up and dropped off other Mannion students who huddled in front of the memorial and walked on the same sidewalk where Rex was struck.

Some stood arm in arm while others shared tearful embraces. A group of friends brought signs that read “We love you Rex” and a cross. They placed a large letter R and P on either side of the cross.

“I believe it’s really sad,” said Ivan Bernal, whose son Andrew was in a couple classes with Rex. “It just makes me angry to hear that a kid lost his life, especially like that on the sidewalk.”

As the sun set, a bouquet of flowers and pictures of Rex lay near the crash site, and the memorial grew as the night went on and people added flowers and other messages of love.

Rex was on the sidewalk in front of the school in the 100 block of East Paradise Hills Drive around 5:15 p.m. on Monday when police said the driver of a black coupe lost control of the vehicle causing it to leave the roadway and go onto the sidewalk. Rex died at the scene, according to the Henderson Police Department.

Police said speed was believed to be a factor in the crash but not impairment.

“Why would you want to be speeding when there’s kids around? That’s not an accident,” Ivan Bernal said.

Along with his son, Bernal’s wife, Claudia, and their daughter, Gisselle, who also attended Mannion, joined them at the memorial.

The family visited the memorial after attending a choir concert at the school, in which Andrew performed.

“It’s sad to know that we have so many schools around us and people still don’t take their time and slow down,” Claudia Bernal said.

She said Andrew, 14, had recently started walking home from school, “so that worries me.”

Javier Jimenez lives in the neighborhood around the school and stopped by the memorial. His kids have grown, but his son and daughter attended Mannion.

“Even though I didn’t know the kid, we’re in the same neighborhood, just to support the family,” Jimenez said.

He’s lived in Henderson for almost 20 years and described the neighborhood as being “so friendly.” Jimenez said “there’s no words” to describe the family’s loss but added “we’re with them.”

“When something like this happens, and you live close by it’s like, ‘wow I can’t believe it,’” he said. “You see it on the news maybe in North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Summerlin. But when it’s this close to your house, it’s hard to believe this happened right here at this neighborhood. It’s hard to believe.”

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.