LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A 17-year-old accused of killing another teen and injuring two other people near First Friday will be tried as an adult, as Arts District businesses raise questions about safety before the next event.
Clark County courts confirmed Wednesday to Channel 13 that Isaac Manriquez will be prosecuted as an adult. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials say he shot three people near Main Street and Charleston Boulevard on Friday, killing one of them. He was arrested Tuesday.
For Jeff Hwang, owner of Taverna Costera, the shooting brought an unfamiliar crisis to a neighborhood where he has watched First Friday draw thousands of people for seven years.
Hwang said about 200 people rushed into his building as gunfire erupted.
WATCH: Arts District businesses seek safety changes after deadly shooting
“We had everybody on the roof sit down while we sorted out what was going on,” he said. "Because we had probably 200 people run into our building.”
Channel 13 visited Taverna Costera and interviewed Hwang by Zoom because he was out of town at the time of the interview.
Asked about his concerns as a business owner, Hwang said he expects changes to how First Friday operates.
“I do think we all kind of expect something to change with regard to how First Friday is being run,” he said. “I do think we all expect that changes will be made.”
Hwang said he has not seen a pattern of violence or juvenile crime at First Friday. Still, he believes the next event will look different.
“I do expect that the next First Friday, whether it’s next month or might be next year, it will look different than last month,” he said.
Another person who works in the Arts District described a different experience.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, told Channel 13 she has seen problems involving underage teens during First Friday for about a year and a half. She believes those issues have discouraged some people from attending and said she had feared a serious incident would occur.
First Friday organizers declined an additional comment, referring Channel 13 to their previous statement.
In that statement, organizers said they are “committed to doing everything we can in identifying the most thorough and appropriate response possible.”
The group said that response would come before it plans or announces any future events.
Just last week, LVMPD Capt. Ryan Wiggins told Channel 13 police had increased their downtown presence from about 40 officers to as many as 160, including near the Fremont Street Experience, in response to fights and juvenile curfew violations.
