Preston Lord, a Teenage Boy, Has Died After Attending a Halloween Party
Queen Creek, Arizona: Teen dies after assault at a Halloween party; Police investigates juvenile death.
Preston Lord, a teenage boy, died after attending a Halloween party over the weekend. He was a junior at Combs High School and a varsity basketball player. His family said he was assaulted at the party.
What happened at the Halloween party at Queen Creek, AZ?
Queen Creek Police responded to several calls of a disturbance at the area of Via del Oro and 194th Street just after 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2023. The officers located several minors leaving the area and did not notice any illegal activity going on and returned.
Within a few minutes, the same officers were alerted to a “High-priority” call with a potential crime in progress. Just before 10 p.m., the Queen Creek Police Department received a 911 to report an assault in the area of 194th Street and Via del Oro.
When the officers arrived at the location, they spotted a juvenile male in the roadway. His family identified him as Preston Lord. According to a GoFundMe page established by his family, his heart had stopped, and several teens at the party had attempted to save his life and performed CPR to help him until the emergency personnel arrived.
He was given CPR, and they managed to restart his heart. He was taken to Chandler Regional Hospital. He was then transferred to Phoenix Children’s in extremely critical condition with severe brain injury. On Monday, October 30, 2023, Preston Lord died at the hospital. His family says he was assaulted at the party.
The Queen Creek Police Department is investigating the incident. The QCPD has requested the locals within a half-mile radius to cooperate with the police and provide the video from surveillance or doorbell cameras that may have captured footage that can help with the investigation between 6 to 10 p.m. on October 28.
No arrests have been made so far. Jeanna Pignatiello, who lives in the area, said, “I’m just angry because it feels so preventable.”
She was helping the kids from the party who were in the area who were not well due to alcohol and helping them to get home safely by getting them Uber rides. She also called the Police and reported a disturbance. She believes if the authorities had intervened when they were called the first time, this heartbreaking incident could have been avoided.
“I can’t imagine as a parent what that feels like, but to know we were calling for an hour at least, maybe two,” Pignatiello spoke to a local news channel, “Where were the police? Where were the adults? How did this get to continue? How was this so out of control?”
GoFundMe Fundraiser
Preston Lord’s family has organized a GoFundMe page. The page was first organized to help the family with the medical bills and treatment for Preston’s severe injuries. But they later updated everyone through the page that Preston had died. The fund will be used to cover the medical bills and funeral and burial costs. The goal has been set at 75,000 dollars. Over 66,000 dollars have been raised to help the family. More donations are being made.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends. We sincerely hope that the Police bring the culprits to justice. It will not bring Preston back, but knowing the perpetrator has been brought to justice might give them some comfort.
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