Teen’s death leaves family wondering where gun came from

At a candlelight vigil Monday night for her 14-year-old nephew, Lakisha Hawthorne had a simple message: “Children and guns do not mix.”

Del’Vonte Jenkins was hanging out with friends in his northeast valley backyard Sunday when he was shot and killed in what his family is calling an accident.

Police responded to Del’Vonte’s house in the 3600 block of Elegant Saint Court, near Pecos and Gowan roads, just before 7 p.m., Metro spokeswoman Officer Laura Meltzer said.

Officers found Del’Vonte with a single gunshot wound. He was taken to University Medical Center where he later died, Meltzer said.

Hawthorne told the Review-Journal Monday her nephew was behind the house with a group of friends. One of the friends, she later learned, had a handgun.

At some point the gun went off, and a bullet hit Del’Vonte in the chest, Hawthorne said.

Several family members were in the house when they heard the shot and ran outside. “That’s when they saw him laying there in the back yard,” Hawthorne said.

Where the gun came from is still a mystery to the family.

“How does a 16-year-old get a hold of a gun?” Hawthorne said.

Del’Vonte was a student at Delta Academy, according to the Clark County School District. The charter school at 818 W. Brooks Ave., near H Street and Cheyenne Avenue, is known for taking in students with behavioral, emotional or social challenges.

Clark County schools are on winter break this week.

Hawthorne said her nephew was in eighth grade. She described him nephew as a lovable joker.

“He didn’t know how to turn it off. Even after getting in trouble, 10 minutes later he’d come back over and do it again,” Hawthorne said. “But he always let you know that he loved you.”

Del’Vonte’s death was the third this year for his family, Hawthorne said. In February, his great-grandmother passed away, and a great-uncle who lived in Chicago died in November.

“It’s …” Hawthorne said, pausing, “it’s just rough.”

On Monday night, she led a candlelight vigil Del’Vonte’s memory in front of the residence where he was shot. Standing before a group of nearly 200 friends, relatives and neighbors, many of them weeping, Hawthorne urged parents to keep their children away from firearms.

“Children and guns do not mix,” she told the crowd. “Our children are our future, and it starts with us.”

Surrounded by posters with pictures of Del’Vonte, immediate family members spent the vigil embracing and offering condolences to one another as several hundred candles flickered on the sidewalk. Several young girls cried, “I want my brother back.”

“This is a lesson for all of us,” Hawthorne said, “and it begins at home.”

Hawthorne concluded her speech by quoting Scripture. Members of the crowd responded with shouts of “Amen” and “Hallelujah.”

Metro’s homicide unit is investigating, but police would not say Monday whether detectives were looking at it as an accident. Police have not made any arrests in connection with Del’Vonte’s death.

This is the 124th homicide in Metro’s jurisdiction in 2014.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Metro’s homicide section at 702-828-3521 or homicide@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at www.crimestoppersofnv.com. Tips leading directly to an arrest or indictment processed through Crime Stoppers may result in a cash reward.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find him Twitter: @ColtonLochhead. Contact reporter Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Find him on Twitter @kudialisrj.