A 12-year-old boy, Cristofer Suarez, was struck and killed by a suspected impaired driver while walking to school. Friends, family, and local residents gathered near 21st Street and Owens Avenue to call for safer streets. The Clark County School District offered condolences and said, "As a community, we need to come together and send the message that we will not tolerate impaired driving," as reported by News 3 LV. The suspect, Oh'Ryan Brooks, admitted to using a THC vape pen before the collision. Counselors are available at J.D. Smith Middle School to support students.
Parents and community members are asking for traffic improvements near J.D. Smith Middle School, including traffic signals and more crossing guards, after 12-year-old Cristofer Suarez was killed in a crash. They said the accident was part of a pattern of dangerous conditions near the school. Cristofer was described by a parent as "such a sweet kid… he was a talented kid, part of a mariachi band." His mother, Martina Suarez, spoke outside the courtroom where the driver, Brooks, was arraigned: "I want everybody to know that he killed a child. Everybody is treating him with grace; they're acting like it's a little DUI crash," and added, "No. I see it as homicide. He killed my son, and I want everybody to know," according to FOX5 Vegas.
Brooks is being held on $250,000 bail and is awaiting a preliminary hearing on October 21. During the court proceedings, when Suarez confronted Brooks, she was escorted out by a bailiff, who warned she could face arrest because of the commotion.
