Neighborhood raises awareness about unsolved murder

CREATED Jun. 16, 2012

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  • North Las Vegas, NV (KTNV)- He was a mechanic just looking to make some extra money, never knowing it would be his last job. It was ruthless. A killing many neighbors believe was part of a gang initiation, but out of that crime good has come out of t Video by ktnv.com

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North Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- He was a mechanic just looking to make some extra money, never knowing it would be his last job. It was ruthless. A killing many neighbors believe was part of a gang initiation, but out of that crime good has come out of this tragedy.

The Desert Horizon Neighborhood was in full swing Saturday.

"After we got the bouncy house together, gotten the dunk tank, and the food started rolling out, yeah, the families started showing up," says Desert Horizon Neighborhood watch coordinator Teresa Cragon.

But all this fun has a focus to it.

"Basically just to get our community together. We had some crimes.That's kind of what started this about a year and a half ago, two years," says Cragon.

That crime happened October 22, 2010. Darren Rael was hired to help fix a car after he posted his services on Craigslist. That evening police say a man walked up to Rael, tried to rob him, shot him, and took off running. Rael later died.

It's been more than a year and a half since Darren Rael was shot and killed around the corner here, and as horrible as that is, neighbors say positive things have happened since then.

"What it did do is bring our community together. So myself and some other folks decided to have a neighborhood watch program," says Cragon.

This event also strives to continue to bring Rael's story to the Las Vegas community since his killer is still free.

"I would hope, that was one reason we wanted you guys here, is because that to our knowledge has not been solved. We want the family to know we do care. That it wasn't just something that no one thinks about anymore. We think about it frequently," says Cragon.

As much fun as the clown, dunk tank, and dancing can be this community hopes their awareness will keep a crime like Rael's from happening there again.

This neighborhood watch says they are going to continue to hold events that unites their community and raises awareness of the unsolved murder of Darren Rael.