In the warm evening of September 1, 2016, Javante Marquest Stockard, a 19-year-old Black/African American male, was with friends at Palacio Park in Las Vegas, Nevada. What began as a gathering of young people would tragically end in the loss of a life. An argument reportedly broke out among the friends concerning a handgun and whether or not it was loaded. Inside a parked car, with Stockard in the backseat, a friend who had been outside the vehicle with the gun allegedly pulled the trigger.
Although the gun's magazine had been removed, a single round remained in the chamber. That bullet struck Javante in the chest.
Chaos ensued as his friends grappled with the horrific accident. One of his friends, D'Andre Dickerson, who was in the front seat, desperately tried to administer aid to his wounded friend. He pulled Javante from the car and onto the parking lot, but the injury was too severe. Emergency services were called, and police officers arrived at the park located in the 900 block of West Lake Mead Boulevard to find Stockard lying outside the vehicle with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to University Medical Center, but the efforts to save him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead about half an hour after the shooting.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting saw the suspected shooter flee the scene on foot. However, he was later interviewed by Metro Police. Investigators spoke with witnesses at the scene, and the preliminary assessment was that the firearm had been accidentally discharged. The Clark County Coroner's Office officially ruled Stockard's death a homicide resulting from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Despite the initial investigation and interviews, no immediate arrests were made in connection with Javante Stockard's death. The case was to be reviewed by the Clark County District Attorney's Office and homicide detectives to determine what, if any, charges would be filed against the person who fired the fatal shot. Friends remembered Javante as a good young man with a golden heart, who was goofy, loved to sing, and had a positive energy about him. He and Dickerson had been contemplating their futures and were considering joining the military. His untimely death left his family and friends to mourn the sudden and tragic loss of a life cut short.
