A fatal shooting in the Las Vegas Arts District claimed the life of 15-year-old Carth Onasi Jacobs-Rodgers during the First Friday arts festival on Tuesday, October 6.
Officers heard gunshots at the monthly event at around 10:17 pm, according to a report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). The shooting left two individuals injured, while Jacobs-Rodgers was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to local outlet 8News. A 17-year-old suspect was arrested and taken into custody and faces charges of murder with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
“This is just a shock for everyone,” Alexxis Ryan, who performed with her band, The X-Flowers, during the event and departed shortly before the gunshots, told Hyperallergic. “It’s important that our community comes together right now.”
The First Friday Foundation welcomes artists and local vendors to participate in the festival each month. The October iteration featured a public mural by local artist Black Sheep One, an artist residency gallery exhibition, and live painting with local creatives.
“This is not what is intended at First Friday, and it is unacceptable,” Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley said in a statement to Hyperallergic. “The city is working with metro police, the First Friday Foundation, and stakeholders to explore what changes can be made.”
“There are many ideas, and we will explore them to determine what will be the best outcome for everyone in the arts district,” Berkley added.
Event organizers confirmed the shooting in an Instagram post, adding that they are putting all future events on pause until they determine the appropriate response. The foundation has not yet replied to Hyperallergic’s request for comment.
The shooting comes less than a month after a 16-year-old bystander was killed during a First Friday event in Manassas, Virginia, which swiftly prompted calls for gun reform. Similar tragedies in schools, houses of worship, grocery stores, and other public areas have stoked nationwide campaigns against gun violence.
Las Vegas also became the site of the largest and deadliest mass shooting in US history in 2017, when a gunman opened fire on concertgoers below his hotel room, killing 60 people and injuring over 800.
As harrowing footage from Friday’s event makes its rounds across social media, showing crowds fleeing from the district and police officers congregating around the scene, many have called for organizers to enforce an age restriction for the event and heighten security measures. LVMPD circulated a curfew notice on social media before the event, reminding parents that minors must be accompanied in the downtown area between 9 pm and 5 am, although First Friday events remain open and accessible to all ages.
“It’s important for teenagers and young children to have a place to go, but everyone needs to be safe,” Ryan said.
