Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

News
Feb. 18, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

PALO VERDE SHOOTING: 'I never thought this could happen here'

15-year-old victim's mother speaks out

By PAUL HARASIM
© 2008, REVIEW-JOURNAL
More Info


Barbara Privett holds a portrait of her son Christopher on Sunday at her home. The 15-year-old was killed while walking home Friday from Palo Verde High School.
Photo by Ralph Fountain



Christopher Privett
Birthplace: Idaho Falls, Idaho, 1993
School: Palo Verde High School freshman, attended Fertitta Middle School
Favorite subject: English
Freshman football team center
Favorite sports team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Barbara Privett recalled what she and her husband were told before they bought their home in Summerlin seven years ago: It's the ideal neighborhood in which to raise a family. The schools were new, there were beautiful recreation facilities and, most important of all, it was safe.

On Sunday, an exhausted Privett was trying to decide when to hold a funeral for her 15-year-old son, Christopher, an honor student felled two days earlier in a drive-by shooting near Palo Verde High School.

Red-eyed from both crying and a lack of sleep, she stared at her son's picture on the kitchen table and spoke in a monotone.

"I never thought this could happen here," she said. "He was just walking home from school with his friends in a nice neighborhood. This is such a pretty place."

Most Popular Stories
  • SEX IN LIBRARY! SAY IT AIN'T SO
  • NORM: Dara Torres' ex still seems bitter
  • NORM: Curtain falls on flying body parts
  • NORM: Health put little damper on Carlin
  • SIERRA PACIFIC RESOURCES: As rates rise, exec pay soars
  • EXCOMMUNICATION: Mormons expel LV man
  • Officer in deadly crash held; tests reveal marijuana in blood
  • TAKEN FOR A BUS RIDE
  • LAUGHLIN RIVER RUN MELEE: Fugitive biker surrenders
  • A Well-Earned Break



    • Las Vegas police arrested a 16-year-old Palo Verde sophomore early Saturday in connection

    with the slaying on Alta Drive.

    Sources familiar with the investigation said the suspect was Gerald Davidson, though they were not certain of the spelling of his name. Police have not given a motive for the violence that occurred shortly before 2 p.m.

    The triggerman was traveling in a car with four other people at the time of the shooting: two female students at Palo Verde and two young men who never attended the school. None of the four others had been arrested as of Saturday. Deputy Chief Ted Moody said no further information on the case was available Sunday.

    The suspect was booked into the Clark County juvenile detention center on one count of murder with a deadly weapon; three counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon; and four counts of firing a weapon from a moving vehicle.

    Privett said she believes she no longer can allow her 16-year-old son, Alex, to walk home from school.

    "We only live about a block and a half from school but I can't take the chance of him getting killed, too," she said. "I'm going to take my lunch hour when it's time for him to leave school and drive him home. I can't lose two sons."

    One of the three teenagers walking with Christopher along Alta, just east of Pavilion Center Drive, said Sunday that no words were exchanged before the shooting that killed his friend.

    "The shot that killed Chris went through another friend's backpack and right into Chris' heart," the teen said. "The last thing he said was, 'I've been hit,' and then he started to fall. I caught him before he fell and laid him down."

    One thing Privett wants made clear is that her son was not part of any gang. Police had no early indications that anyone involved in the shooting had gang ties.

    "Christopher was no trouble," Privett said. "He always got good grades and was a happy kid. He had friends over after school all the time."

    Separated from her husband, Privett, an office manager for a law firm, moved into an apartment near Palo Verde after her Summerlin home was sold. In addition to Alex, she has two grown children.

    "I moved to this apartment because I didn't want my sons to have to go far to school," she said. "I was sure this would be safe."

    Though Privett said her son hadn't speculated about what he wanted to do as an adult, the friend who was with Christopher when he was shot said he talked about becoming a firefighter.

    "He also liked to listen to Snoop Dogg," he said.

    "My son really enjoyed school," Privett said of her son, who preferred others to call him Chris, rather than Christopher.

    "To me he was always Christopher and he'd always say, 'Oh, mom,'" Privett said, tears welling in her eyes as she smiled. "He knew he'd always be my Christopher."

    A 5-foot, 7-inch, 150-pound center on Palo Verde's freshman football team, Christopher was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

    His mother hailed from Pennsylvania and her parents still live there.

    "See how he loved the Steelers," Privett said, pointing to his bedroom with a yellow-and-black Steelers bedspread and players' photographs on the wall, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and former linebacker Jack Lambert. A Steelers souvenir helmet sat on the bed.

    For his mother's recent 50th birthday, Christopher had wanted to get her a Steelers license plate frame for her car.

    "He couldn't find one so he got me a Pittsburgh Pirates one instead," his mother said.

    As she stood in her son's room, she noticed he had left some homework for health class in his night stand.

    "He was something," she said, looking at the paper. "He didn't have to work hard to get A's and B's."

    Alex Privett found it almost impossible to talk about his brother, a year and two days younger than him.

    "We played with toys and video games when we were young, and sports when we were older," he said.

    Christopher was born in Idaho Falls and moved to Las Vegas with his family in the second grade. He enjoyed reading literature and writing themes as he grew older, his mother said. He played the bass clarinet for two years in middle school.

    "It wasn't something he practiced a lot so he gave it up," his mother said, half smiling. "English was his favorite subject. He didn't like math that much."

    Pacing between her son's room and the dining room, she said she can't believe young people won't give up on violence and guns.

    "The police told me that maybe the shots were fired just to scare somebody," she said. "But don't they understand there can be consequences? The way things are now it doesn't matter where you live. Violence can happen anywhere."

    She had initially been told by school authorities that her son was taken to University Medical Center. After she arrived there, however, she learned her son was taken to Summerlin Hospital. By Sunday afternoon, she still hadn't seen her son's body.

    "They said they had to do an autopsy Saturday," she said. "Maybe that's why I still find it so hard to believe this happened. Maybe after I see his body it will really hit me."

    Relatives from Pennsylvania have been arriving all weekend to try to comfort Privett.

    "I'm 80," said Stewart Opel, Christopher's grandfather. "I wish I had been taken instead."

    What Barbara Privett wants, she knows she can never have again.

    "I want to see him with that big smile on his face as he waves to me on his way to school."

    Review-Journal writer Antonio Planas contributed to this report. Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2908.



    Leave Your Comment 263 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Val wrote on March 09, 2008 12:02 AM: Its funny how most of you are outraged because the shooter was BLACK and was in YOUR neighborhood. Are you kidding? This has nothing to do with race or neighborhoods(for the record, when you mail something to "Summerlin" you still write LAS VEGAS, NV)! This had to do with a TEENAGER killing another TEENAGER.

    Whats funny is that nobody ever talks about how the news originally stated Chris was throwing up gang signs(Im not saying its true, just saying it was overlooked). But, thats not possible right? Theres no way a WHITE kid could be involved in any way with a *gasp* GANG!

    Everyone wants these little BLACK kids to go to prison and rot, but remember those little -rich white kids- who called themselves the "311 Boyz" (which is a GANG name, mind you. See the article here http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Oct-19-Sun-2003/news/22402663.html if you have 'forgotten') who got off with PROBATION when they smashed that poor boy, Stephen Hansen's, face in! Not to mention all of the other heinous crimes they were involved in.

    I agree, the kid who shot Chris should go to Prison for Murder, Im not denying that in any way. What I am saying is that, WHITE kids get away with much more than any Black kid ever could(but you wont admit that, will you?). If we are going to get ahead in society and actually REDUCE the crime rate, we need to let ALL kids(and races) know that, if they commit a crime, they WILL do the time!! Just remember this, with money doesnt always come common sense or good parenting techniques!

    Teach your kids right and wrong, thats what it comes down to, RIGHT AND WRONG, not BLACK AND WHITE!

    P.S Im white.


    Medium wrote on March 05, 2008 04:29 PM: It amazes me how people are actually fighting and bickering on this poor boy's page. This page is not meant for ignorant people to waste away their days commenting back and forth about Summerlin and racism. You people sound like your in your teens and this is some kind of myspace page.

    As a teen, who recently graduated from Palo, and lives in Summerlin-- I heard about everything and drive past Chris's "site" everyday. Chris's family: your in our prayers and Im so sorry for your loss. Summerlin is an amazing place and regardless of what anyone says, this incident should NOT have happened here. Yes, there is violence everywhere.. but many of us live in this community because it is safe. Im sorry this happened to you ina place that you had so much trust in. Palo is a wonderful school-- the best in Vegas and you couldnt have chose a better location to raise your kids. Again, Im sorry that you are going through this.

    Sue- I agree with what you are saying and have read many of the arguments on this page. You sound like a very bright woman who is just trying to voice your opinion and stand up for Summerlin and our teens and neighboors here. We thank you. :)Regardless of what anyone says-- Summerlin is different. Its like the paradise of Las Vegas. But, arguing with ignorant people on this page won't do any good-- they would simply have to live here to know why were so passionate about it. :)


    moshe wrote on March 02, 2008 02:59 PM: the blacks and hispanics are preying on the white males at alarming rates in our society...law enforcement is not safe let alone the rest of us....very soon the white male will rise up and say to hell with the legal system, shyster lawyers, corrupt and weak kneed judges...it may come to vigilante justice but payback time is around the corner and will last until the murdering, raping, intimidating stops cold for good...we have had enough.


    Mark Curran wrote on March 01, 2008 02:22 PM: This violence wont stop unless the whole gang mentality is rejected by the youth themselves -- when it quits being "cool" or attactive to be macho or ganged up.

    Most males at that age do everything to impress others -- particularly women. So fair or not, when women quit rewarding this kind of nonsense, we will see a lot less of it.


    Jonathan wrote on February 28, 2008 07:04 AM: Making a Stand wrote on February 27, 2008 08:25 PM:
    The disgusting and irresponsible

    The only things disgusting and irresponsible are the criminal blacks preying on society. They not only get away with murderous crimes, but are being enabled and supported by hate groups such as Al Sharpton's mob of thugs and the vicious NAACP.

    Why do these black racist groups continue to exist, when they are nothing but institutions of hatred.


    Making a Stand wrote on February 27, 2008 08:25 PM: The disgusting and irresponsible platform for hate that the R(asist) Journal has created here is reminiscent of the 1950's in the rural south.

    I am not stating this to shame the RJ as clearly they have no shame. Instead I am simply making clear my plan.

    I will be calling each advertiser that lists their number in the RJ and giving them the link to this page and the other hate/racist filled pages that the RJ so irresponsibly makes available. I will then tell them that as long as their advertising dollars go to sponsor this garbage I will refuse to purchase their products.

    I will then do all that I can to spread the word to every educated and civil person that I know.

    Allowing people secretly spew hate speech and hiding behind the 1st amendment is pathetic. I will make the RJ realize this. They need to implement a system where individuals that make statements are responsible for their words.
    Hate does not fix anything. The only way to fight darkness is not with more darkness but light. Sometimes even a single candle can be enough for those who seek an exit to follow. Let’s begin to solve the problem instead of pointing fingers. Your better than that Las Vegas.?


    This is very sad wrote on February 27, 2008 01:00 PM: SUE- You are correct if this was a white kid who shot a Black kid we would be hearing lots about racism in the articles that are being writtin
    about this shooting.To let you know I am not white.


    THIS WORLD HAS TO MUCH BAD !!! wrote on February 27, 2008 12:53 PM: The girls that go to Palo that where the car when he shot him and killed him should be very very very very !!! punished and there parents should ask how can my daughter be hanging out with those kind of people the kind that are cable of killing other for no reason the parent s of those kids might want to start aking where and who do you hang out with and be a part of there lifes a LOT MORE!!!


    West Family wrote on February 24, 2008 09:16 AM: We send our heartfelt condolences to the family of Chris Privett, the child who was brutally murdered.

    In your mourning, please know that many also mourn for this young man that you are in our thoughts and prayers in the coming days.

    Let's hope those who took this son from this family, for absolutely no reason, receive the most severe punishment that the law allows.


    J wrote on February 22, 2008 06:03 PM: To The Name-Calling Sue: My offer to relocate you out of my city still stands.

    To the So-Called Concerned Mom: Are you really making any kind of assumption about how and where I reinvest in my community? How is that even possible? You know nothing about me, my family, or what I do other than what I have posted here. And you seem horribly incapable of understanding even that. The fact is you have zero idea of how much money I have, how much I reinvest into my community nor where it goes. You are making assumptions about something of which you know NOTHING. That is pure idiocy.

    I stand by my initial statement: Something horrible has happened in my community, and the combination of a sense of entitlement and isolationism coming from Summerlin residents is troubling at best, dangerous at worst.


    Read All Comments