Daniel Prestridge Las Vegas

October 11, 2026 - 9:01 pm

I have been going to First Friday whenever I had the opportunity since it first began. It’s something for locals to enjoy. But it took a young boy of 17 to spoil it by being accused of bringing a gun to the event and killing another person. Now people who have never gone to a First Friday want to change it. More police. Keep the crowd small. How are you going to do that? Fence off several square blocks and charge what no doubt will be a ridiculously high price? Making it harder to find parking will drive people away and cost businesses in the area money.

At the same time, we ignore the real problem: guns and easy access to them. Who was the owner of the gun? How did the boy get it? As for the suspect, he should be tried as an adult — period.

Adding security or limiting the size of First Friday will not prevent this from happening again at another event.

I consider myself lucky that I did not go this month. Next month, it will feel 100 percent different because of one stupid person.