Victim’s father seeking ‘something constructive’

There, not far from Red Rock Canyon, the 52-year-old Lawrence Middle School science teacher walked mile after mile with his golden retriever, Ginger.

"It’s the one place where I can really think," Privett said Tuesday as he held favorite photographs of the 15-year-old, who was gunned down Friday as he walked home from Palo Verde High School. "It became clear to me that something constructive had to come out of Chris’ death."

Standing in an Albertson’s parking lot near West Charleston Boulevard and Interstate 215 before leaving for a meeting with a minister, Privett said he wants his son’s death to serve as a catalyst for the community to reach out to troubled youngsters.

The circles under his eyes, the product of what he called "little sleep," were so deep they appeared to have been etched with a razor blade and filled with black paint.

"I can tell you from my experience as a teacher that we have far too many children raising themselves," he said, pulling his University of Michigan hat farther over his eyes. "Some are basically with transient families who move from one school to another every few months, and there’s no way they can learn. Others act out because of the way they’re treated at home. I remember what happened one time when I sent a girl to the dean’s office for being out of control. A parent came and slapped her face so incredibly hard. I knew right then why that child was the way she was.

"That’s why we have the kind of craziness we have in Las Vegas that ends up with children involved in violence. It’s insanity that we have to rein in, or we’re going to continue to have children who end up like Chris."

What made his son "a great kid," Privett said, were all of the people that helped him grow up.

"It just wasn’t his mother and I that got him on the honor roll and into sports. It was his soccer and football coaches and schoolteachers and Cub Scout leaders and bandleaders who helped teach him to live the right way. A lot of people together turned him into a great kid."

Privett recalled how his son cheered for University of Michigan football because of his passion for the team and for the Pittsburgh Steelers because they are his mother’s favorite NFL franchise.

"He was a great compromiser," he said. "We need more of that in Las Vegas instead of everyone trying to go their own way."

Privett said he’s "not smart enough" to provide the exact structure that could help children grow up in a more positive way in Las Vegas, but he said it becomes apparent to elementary school teachers which children are on the wrong path.

"I don’t know whether it would take special schools or support programs or what," he said, "but we have to make sure children get a chance to succeed. Children can’t do it alone. They need the kind of coaches and teachers that Chris had.

"There are a lot of smart people in the community that could make this happen. We just have to get our priorities straight."

While only a trial can determine the guilt or innocence of Gerald Q. Davison, the 16-year-old charged in his son’s death, Privett said what is known is that when young people commit violence, there generally have been indications for years that they have been heading down the wrong path.

Though Privett is separated from his wife, Barbara, he has shared custody of Christopher and his 16-year-old brother, Alex.

On the day Christopher died, Privett dropped him off at school. "We were talking about classes he was going to register for in the future," he said. "He had many goals, but he hadn’t decided yet on a profession. He thought about being an engineer. He loved to work on cars."

Christopher’s death isn’t the first time Privett has had to deal with grief that no parent ever wants to face.

In 2004, his son Daniel, from another marriage, was found dead. He was a senior at Boise State University. His death was ruled a suicide.

"There was no note," said Privett, who continues to wonder whether Daniel was the victim of foul play.

"This isn’t easy," Privett said, staring at the mountains in the distance.

Privett has taken this week off from teaching. He isn’t sure he can come back next week.

Every day, he said, he will take walks in the desert.

"I can see the city below me as I walk," he said. "I can see so many places where Chris and I spent time together."

When Privett looks to the future, he knows what he wants to see in Las Vegas.

"I don’t want Las Vegas to go back to business as usual after Chris’ death: Our priorities should be to see that kids get straightened out," he said.

"Otherwise, instead of building million-dollar homes by the mountains out here, we should build a graveyard. We’ll need it for our kids."

Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2908.