After a Teen Was Killed at First Friday, Las Vegas Is Weighing Curfew Changes in the Arts District

LAS VEGAS

A week ago tonight, First Friday — the Arts District's beloved monthly street festival, running for more than 20 years — turned into a crime scene. Officers heard gunfire near Charleston Boulevard and Main Street at about 10:17 p.m. By the next morning, a 15-year-old was dead, two more teens were wounded, and the district was asking how a celebration of local art became a place where kids get shot. Now the city is talking about curfews. But here's the part that makes this conversation uncomfortable: a curfew was already on the books the night it happened.

What happened on Oct. 2

First Friday draws thousands of people into the Arts District every month for art, culture and food. Last Friday, a physical altercation near the event escalated into gunfire, with rounds fired into the crowd, according to LVMPD and local reporting. Video of the aftermath — crowds fleeing the district as police converged on the scene — spread across social media in the hours after. Jacobs-Rodgers was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to 8 News Now. The October edition of the festival had featured a public mural by local artist Black Sheep One, an artist residency gallery exhibition, and live painting with local creatives.

In a family statement released this week, his relatives remembered him as a teenager trying to change his life for the better. "He wanted to become a better son, a better brother, and a better version of himself," the family's statement said. "He deserved the opportunity to become the man he was working so hard to be." One of his legal guardians, Tara Mesaric-Rodgers, said she doesn't want First Friday disbanded: "It's been a Vegas thing for years, but they need to, especially being close to Fremont; it needs to have better safety protocols."

The suspect is being prosecuted as an adult

Isaac Manriquez, 17, was arrested and charged with one count of open murder and two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon. He was transferred from the juvenile court system and appeared in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday, where Judge Suzan Baucum found probable cause for the arrest and ordered him held without bail. He is due back in court on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Being charged as an adult at 17 for a homicide means the case moves through the regular criminal system — higher stakes, no juvenile protections.

The curfew was already there — that's the problem

This is where the debate gets real. Las Vegas already restricts unaccompanied minors downtown: the enhanced curfew runs 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and certain holidays. LVMPD even circulated a curfew notice on social media before the event, reminding parents that minors must be accompanied downtown during those hours. The shooting happened at 10:17 p.m. — squarely inside curfew hours. On top of that, the city has a citywide minor curfew: 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday during the school year, and midnight to 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

So the question isn't really "should there be a curfew." The question is why the existing one didn't keep unaccompanied teenagers off Charleston Boulevard that night — and what enforcement would actually look like at an open-street festival that draws thousands. Business owners in the district have said they've watched large groups of unsupervised young people show up to First Friday, and several are now calling for better enforcement of the rules already on the books. Jimi Mastronardi, owner of Star Las Vegas, walked News 3 through the area where the violence unfolded, pointing out damage left behind by the gunfire. Across town, Meadows Mall recently put its own temporary youth curfew in place to break up what it called disruptive, unsupervised gatherings of youth — a sign the concern isn't limited to one neighborhood.

What happens next

Mayor Shelley Berkley addressed the question in a statement to Hyperallergic. "This is not what is intended at First Friday, and it is unacceptable," Berkley said. "The city is working with metro police, the First Friday Foundation, and stakeholders to explore what changes can be made." Berkley added that there are many ideas on the table, and the city will explore them "to determine what will be the best outcome for everyone in the arts district." For its part, the First Friday Foundation confirmed the shooting and said it is putting all future events on pause until it determines the appropriate response.

That's the current state: the event that was supposed to showcase local artists is on hold, the curfew debate is restarting, and a 15-year-old is gone. The city's decision — tougher enforcement of the existing curfew, new restrictions, or something else entirely — will say a lot about whether Las Vegas can protect a public festival without killing what makes it worth having.

Friday, Oct. 2, ~10:17 p.m., near Charleston Blvd. and Main St. during First Friday. Carth Onasi Jacobs-Rodgers, 15, killed; two other teens wounded.

More from the Vegas beat: today's Vegas daily roundup · our earlier coverage of the shooting