A 17-year-old suspect has been charged as an adult with murder in the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Jayden Collins at a northwest Las Vegas house party earlier this month. The arrest comes amid ongoing concerns about youth violence at residential gatherings across the valley.
According to News 3 Las Vegas, Elijah Belt-Campbell was booked into the Clark County Detention Center last Friday on one count of open murder with deadly-weapon and criminal-gang enhancements. News outlets are identifying him because he has been charged as an adult in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Collins was shot and killed during a house party on August 5, found in front of a home in the 5600 block of North Bonita Vista Street, near Ann Road and Durango Drive. As reported by The Nevada Globe, medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Property Had History of Problems
The shooting location had been a source of ongoing neighborhood complaints for months before the deadly incident. A neighbor told KTNV, "You see drug deals going on every day, people in cars and parties every night for the last 8 months." The neighbor added that "Metro has been here multiple times because of the shenanigans that's going on at that home." Further investigation revealed the home was supposedly surrendered through bankruptcy, raising questions about property oversight in cases where residential properties become regular venues for large gatherings.
Gang Enhancement Indicates Organized Crime Connection
8 News Now reports that the criminal gang enhancement on the charges indicates prosecutors believe the shooting was gang-related. This adds another dimension to what investigators initially described as an argument between teens that escalated to deadly violence. Belt-Campbell made a court appearance on Tuesday, during which his attorney requested a preliminary hearing in 30 days, with his next scheduled appearance set for September 30.
Part of Troubling Pattern
This arrest comes amid several other deadly shootings involving teenagers at Las Vegas area parties this year. In February, as per Fox 5 Vegas, 17-year-old Luis Garcia-Molina was shot and killed while walking home from a party, with 18-year-old Damian Delgado arrested and facing open murder charges.
The Collins case also follows other recent party-related violence, including a December 2024 fatal shooting at a house party on Cipro Avenue. As detailed by Fox 5 Vegas, Hamilton Wade III, 27, was arrested in California in February for that shooting and awaits extradition. 8 News Now notes that details about what led up to Belt-Campbell's specific arrest were not immediately available.
