Classmates, family gather to mourn Queen Creek teen Preston Lord at Candlelight vigil
The vigil was held at Combs High School in San Tan Valley where Preston was a student.
QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5) -- Classmates and friends of Queen Creek teen Preston Lord held a candlelight vigil Thursday night at Combs High School in San Tan Valley. Lord died days after being brutally attacked outside a house party just before Halloween.
On October 28th, just after 9 p.m., Queen Creek officers first responded to a disturbance call involving teens near 194th Street and Via Del Rancho. Police arrived within minutes and found some teens leaving the area, but no crime was found. Officers left the area to respond to a different call, according to investigators. However, police were called back to the area nearly an hour later for reports of an assault. Emergency crews arrived and found Lord injured and lying in the road. Crews attempted to save Lord as he was rushed to the hospital. However, he died on Monday, two days after the initial attack. Lord’s aunt told Arizona’s Family the teen was attacked, and his heart stopped. She added he suffered major injuries, including a severe brain injury.
REMEMBERING PRESTON: FULL VIDEO FROM THE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL.
Last week, Queen Creek officials held a news conference to address rumors surrounding a teen’s death at a Halloween party. Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice and Commander Mark Newman spoke about claims circulating online following the death of Preston Lord, who was attacked outside the party over the weekend. Lord was a junior at Combs High School and on the varsity basketball team.
According to police, rumors on social media are claiming officers were already at the party when the attack happened. Commander Newman confirmed no officers were at the party until after the attack. A second rumor officials touched on was claims that neighbors were calling for hours reporting the party, and officers weren’t responding. Commander Newman confirmed police only received one call to their non-emergency line, and a majority of 911 calls were reported after officers had already arrived at the scene where Lord was found.
Chief Brice said roughly 100 to 200 people were at the party, and adults were inside the home.
Police are asking for anyone with additional information or video related to the incident can email QCPD at QCPDInvestigators@QueenCreekAZ.gov or call the non-emergency line at 480-358-3500. No arrests have been made.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
