Isaac Manriquez, 17, entered a not guilty plea Thursday in Eighth Judicial District Court to charges of murder, battery with a deadly weapon and illegally carrying a firearm. He is being held without bail after a grand jury indictment last week. When Judge Tierra Jones asked how he pleaded, Manriquez responded, "Not guilty."
Manriquez is accused of fatally shooting 15-year-old Carth Onasi Jacobs-Rodgers and wounding two other people on Oct. 2 during the monthly First Friday art crawl near Charleston Boulevard and Main Street. Detectives identified him as the gunman based on a wallet left at the scene, according to documents previously obtained by Channel 13.
Manriquez allegedly told detectives he was with a group of teens who got into a fight with another group after each side "banged on" the other, which investigators said "was basically each side challenging each other in representation of their respective gangs." Prosecutors have characterized the shooting as gang-related.
The First Friday Foundation had recently celebrated 24 years of the monthly downtown art event. Organizers have paused the event while they work with police to address safety concerns, with no estimated return date announced.
Sources: KTNV 13 Action News
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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