Do you know who murdered Jose Manual Hernandez-Pena?
On a warm evening in Las Vegas, on September 21, 2014, a sense of foreboding had settled over Maria Blanca Hernandez, a feeling she would later describe as a "friction to the heart." That night, her worst fears became a tragic reality when her 16-year-old son, Jose Ual Hernandez-Pena, a Hispanic male, was senselessly killed in what police have called a random act of violence. Two and a half years prior, Maria had brought Jose to the United States from El Salvador to escape the very street violence that would ultimately claim his life.
Jose, a 10th-grader at Clark High School, had just finished dinner with his 17-year-old cousin, an uncle, and two other people. Shortly after 7:30 p.m., they were sitting in their Honda sedan at a red light at the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard. A dark-colored sedan carrying four men pulled up alongside them. Someone in the other car made what appeared to be a gang gesture and shouted something to the effect of "where are you from?" Without any provocation, at least one person from the sedan opened fire on the Honda. Jose, who was in the front passenger seat talking to his cousin and not engaging with the other car, was struck multiple times. Family and police have stated that he had no involvement in gangs.
In the chaotic moments that followed the gunfire, it took a few seconds for the driver to realize Jose had been shot and was slumped in his seat. Instead of heading to a hospital, the frightened group drove to the nearby home of a relative in the 5200 block of Stampa Avenue, a place they knew was safe, and called for help. First responders found Jose lying in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
In the days and weeks that followed, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the homicide, but leads were scarce. The shooting occurred at a busy intersection with numerous businesses that had surveillance cameras, yet the footage yielded no useful information. Despite pleas to the public for assistance, no witnesses came forward. Investigators do not believe the shooting was the result of road rage or was gang-related, as none of the occupants in the car with Jose had a criminal history. The killing of Jose Hernandez-Pena was described by police as a "heinous" and random act. As of early 2016, his murder remained unsolved, leaving a grieving mother to wonder why the country she brought her son to for safety became the place where his life was tragically cut short. The suspects, four men in a dark sedan, have never been identified or apprehended.
