A father wonders: If Gilbert police had acted sooner, would Preston Lord be alive?

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/gilbert/2023/12/29/gilbert-
police-closing-in-on-teen-attacker-at-in-n-out-father-says/72055144007/

The father of a Gilbert teen beaten in a gang-style attack said
authorities are close to making an arrest after shelving the case for
months.

Richard Kuehner said Gilbert police in the past two weeks have sought
search warrants in the case and have identified a suspect.

"I heard that they are getting warrants to get the kid's social media
accounts. That's going to be huge," he said.

"I feel better. Still pissed off it took so long," Kuehner said Thursday.
"I struggle with that because they could have had all this stuff done
months ago."

Gilbert police reopened the investigation into the beating the day after a
Dec. 14 Arizona Republic report tied a series of attacks on teenagers to a
gang called the "Gilbert Goons."

Case reopened after Republic report:Gilbert police dodge questions on
'Goon' teen attacks

The Republic found the Goons recorded themselves carrying out random
assaults in mall parking lots, outside fast-food restaurants, at parks and
at house parties. The Goons had engaged in a string of blitz-style attacks
on other teens in the southeast Valley for more than a year, according to
interviews, court and police records, and social media posts.

Gilbert, which in early December publicized its ranking as the second-
safest big city in the U.S., was a hub for Goons attacks, according to
reports by victims and their families. But Gilbert police never connected
the assaults, even those in the same location, to the Goons or any other
group.

Students, parents and community activists say members of the Goons are
responsible for the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord.
Queen Creek police confirmed Thursday they were seeking criminal charges
against seven "adults and juveniles" in the Lord case.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office will review the submissions and
determine who should be charged and for what.

Charges referred:Queen Creek police seek charges against 7 teens, adults
in death of Preston Lord

Kuehner attended a march on Thursday in Gilbert on the two-month
anniversary of Lord's beating. He said if police had acted sooner in his
son's case, they may have prevented Lord's death.

"If any of these kids were the same kids that killed Preston, and if they
(police) had done their job ... I struggle with that because maybe Preston
would be alive today and we wouldn't be doing this. But we don't know,
we'll find out. Once all the dots are connected and everything, I think
we'll find out."

'We still have more work to do':Gilbert marchers seek justice in Preston
Lord murder case

Teen threatened, then beaten at In-N-Out Burger
Kuehner first reported the attack on his son in August, but police showed
little interest in solving the case.

Soon after the 16-year-old had enrolled at Perry High School in Gilbert,
Kuehner said a group of teenagers showed up at his front door ready to
deliver a beating.

His son already had talked about being threatened by two kids. Kuehner
said he reached out to school officials for a meeting with the boys'
parents. Administrators told him the parents declined.

A week later, Kuehner said, a group of kids pulled up to their house,
including the two who had threatened his son.

Kuehner was out walking the dog when his son texted him that the kids were
at the house. When the kids saw Kuehner coming, they scrambled into their
cars and tore off down the street.

Case developments:New 'Gilbert Goons' beating video, chilling account of
Preston Lord's attack emerge

On Aug. 18, Kuehner said his son went to grab food with a friend at the
Gilbert In-N-Out Burger. Kuehner said they had barely arrived when a
pickup pulled up and a bunch of kids jumped out.

His son did not know them, Kuehner said. They confronted his son with a
bunch of questions: his name, where his dad worked, what kind of car his
dad drove.

Kuehner said the boys laid into him. Kuehner said his son ran back to his
car, but about five kids tackled him. One of the Goons apparently filmed
the attack, he said.

"My son was in the fetal position on the ground, and they were kicking him
and stomping on him," Kuehner said. "They stole his shoes.”

Brass knuckles, beatings, fear:Random attacks on teens loom over Preston
Lord murder case

Kuehner said his son's emergency room bill was $14,000.

A video of the attack was sent to a police officer assigned to Perry High
School, and Kuehner was asked to verify his son was in it. He said police
told him the video was sent to officers at East Valley high schools to see
if they could recognize any of the kids.

The threats against his son kept coming, Kuehner said. It got so bad, he
said, that his son did not feel safe leaving the house.

Kuehner ultimately decided to withdraw his son from school and send him
overseas to live with his mom. He said his son suffers from post-traumatic
stress as a result of the attack.

At the crime scene:'Gilbert Goon' girlfriend recounts deadly Halloween
party

Kuehner said he learned about the Goons after his son's attack. His son
showed him social media posts about other Goon attacks. When Kuehner heard
about the details of Lord's murder, he thought, “God, it’s gotta be the
same kids," he said.

Police reopen teen attack cases
Gilbert police listed the case as "inactive pending additional
investigative leads" until mid-December.

On Dec. 22, the department posted still images of the attack on Facebook
and asked anyone with information to come forward.

The department also has reopened investigations into three other cases
involving teen attacks and threats.


Gilbert police officials would not say why they have reopened the cases
and provided scant information about them because, the department said,
they are open.

In addition to reopening four cases, Gilbert police officials said the
department is reviewing cases involving teenagers from the past two years.

Cases revisited:Gilbert police reopen investigations after The Republic
connects 'Goon' beatings

The Republic is not naming victims. Nor is it naming individual Goons,
even in cases where they were convicted of assaults and other crimes,
because they are underage. None has been charged or identified by
authorities as suspects in Lord's murder.

Despite progress on the cases, Kuehner remains sad and frustrated.

"I have lost my son being with me for safety concerns due to the
negligence of Chandler school district and the Gilbert police. No parent
should have to endure this," he said.

And his heart bleeds about what happened to Lord.

"That could have been my son, too. And if there's anything I can do to
help, I want to do that. ... It's about justice, it's about
accountability. Being able to live in a nice environment where your kids
can enjoy growing up. Right now, that's not what's happening. Whatever I
got to do."

He said if he has to march every week to keep attention on all of the
attacks, he would do it.

"Because it's not just about my son either, right? It's about all these
victims."

Queen Creek police seek charges against 7 teens, adults in death of
Preston Lord
Gilbert police reopen investigations after The Republic connects 'Goon'
beatings
At crime scene, 'Gilbert Goon' girlfriend recounts deadly Halloween party
Gilbert police ask public to help identify attackers in Aug. 18 In-N-Out
beating
Brass knuckles, beatings, fear: Random attacks on teens loom over Preston
Lord murder case
Gilbert police dodge questions on teen attacks, reopen 'Goon' case after
Republic report
New 'Gilbert Goons' beating video, chilling account of Preston Lord's
attack emerge
Timeline: Preston Lord investigation, 'Gilbert Goons' attacks stun Phoenix
area
Reach reporter Elena Santa Cruz at elena.s...@gannett.com or 480-466-
2265. Follow her on X at @ecsantacruz3.

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at
robert...@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Follow him on X
@robertanglen.


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