The teen who was beaten to death started the fight by sucker punching someone, according to the links you posted. So no, I wouldn’t call it a hate crime.
The impetus for the attack doesn’t appear to be motivated by race. Although, the race of the parties involved seems very important to you. Why is that?
Regardless, it’s a senseless death and tragic waste of a life yet to meet it’s potential. I feel for all families involved.
Yeah you read it wrong. He confronted some kids who robbed his friend, and you can see him start the fight in the video. Looks like a sucker punch to me.
Las Vegas teen has died after he was beaten by a group of bullies for coming to the defense of a “smaller” friend who was thrown into a trash can, the student’s grieving dad said.
If they did indeed rob his friend then I still wouldn’t call it a sucker punch. Unless we now think it’s ok to rob someone and toss them in a garbage can.
Yes, the dead teen confronted some other teens who had robbed his friend. Watch the video in the link you posted. A bunch of people are standing around, and then there’s a sucker punch, and then a melee.
The punch was thrown by the kid in the white hoodie and gray pants, and he hits a white kid wearing brown or black clothes. You can see in the video that the kid in the hoodie continue to beat the other boy while he is on the ground. Looks to be only two white kids in the video, bith got attacked.
According to the Daily Mail story that you posted, the person throwing the first punch is the kid who died. Here’s the caption of that particular video since you don’t appear to be reading your own links.
Footage appears to show Jonathan (circled) throwing a punch before being swarmed by up to 15 youths who are seen hitting and kicking him repeatedly as he lies on the ground.
Then that statement is inaccurate. It’s clear that the first punch thrown is by the boy in the white hoodie and gray pants. And then later in the video you can see that same boy, along with others, savagely beating someone who is on the ground. Go watch it again.
It looks accurate to me. The kid who throws the first punch isn’t wearing a hood, the guy with the hood comes in from the right after punches are thrown.
The kid that gets hit clearly is white (fair skin) and skinny, and the kid who throws the punch is wearing a white top and gray pants (but no hood on and hard to tell his race). After that it is impossible to see what happens to either of them. What is clear though is that the other white kid wearing a black top is chased and assaulted by five or more black kids. No other source (that I could find) states that he (the kid who died) threw the first punch.