LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Family and friends got here collectively on Tuesday to say their ultimate goodbyes to Jovonn “Jo Jo” Tyree Magee Thomas.
Thomas was 12 years outdated when he was killed final month after a van struck him whereas driving his e-scooter close to Tully Avenue and Hidden Desert Means in east Las Vegas.
In the course of the Las Vegas Metro police investigation, proof on the scene and dashcam footage confirmed {that a} van was driving westbound on Tully Avenue, approaching the intersection, when a 12-year-old boy driving an electrical scooter entered the intersection and crossed the van’s path, leading to a collision.
“He was smart, intelligent,” stated his father, Tyron Thomas Sr. “So much that was going to happen, it kills me to realize it’s gone.”
Plentiful Life SDA Church was heavy with emotion as family members remembered Jo Jo, who his household affectionately refers to as “Buggy” or “Bug”. Between laughs, smiles, and tears, tales emerged of a younger boy who lived life to the fullest.
“I miss you so much, Bug. Days go by where I miss your sweet laugh coming from your room that warms my heart with the sour smell of your armpits that fill my nose,” stated his sister.
His household remembered him as sensible, athletic, and all the time up for a problem — a aggressive wrestler, a proficient musician, and above all, a loving son, brother, good friend, and scholar.
“He was a leader. Jo Jo was a leader. He inspired, he motivated, and he made everyone laugh,” stated his former instructor, Nahomi Magallan.
Jo Jo was a scholar at Mater Academy East. Academics and classmates honored him by carrying “Mater Family” shirts with #12 on the again, and on the entrance – “show love like Jo Jo”.
“He was a very tiny kid. He was very small, but his love felt like it was three times bigger than his size. He showed love, and you feel it in the hallways; you feel the emptiness,” stated Magallan.
Giselle Villalobos can also be one in every of his former academics, remembering a younger boy stuffed with character, who lit up each room he entered.
“Just full of life really. Just laughter all the time,” stated Villalobos. “Always knows how to make someone’s day.”
“He just never made the room feel dull – ever,” stated Magallan.
A child who liked life and nonetheless had a lot extra to offer.
“He lives in all of us, in all of our hearts,” stated Magallan.
As of Sept. 21, Jo-Jo’s dying marked the 119th traffic-related fatality in 2025 within the Las Vegas Metro police jurisdiction.
Nonetheless, as of Oct. 28, there have been 131 traffic-related fatalities.
Whereas Jojo’s crash occurred on a weekend, CCSD police and companions report as of final Wednesday, 142 juveniles have been concerned in visitors collisions throughout faculty days.
