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QUEEN CREEK, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) Police in Queen Creek are looking for information after a 16-year-old boy died following a party over the weekend.

Just after 9 p.m. on Saturday, Queen Creek police responded to a disturbance involving kids near 194th Street and Via Del Oro. Officers arrived to find teens leaving the area but saw no signs of any illegal activity. Minutes later, police were alerted to an assault a block away near 194th Street and Via Del Rancho and soon found a teen lying in the roadway. According to a GoFundMe and family members, the victim is Preston Lord, a junior and basketball varsity player at Combs High School. Preston’s aunt tells Arizona’s Family the 16-year-old suffered major injuries, including a severe brain injury. He was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where he died on Monday.

The owner of the home where the party took place Saturday talked to Arizona’s Family. He didn’t want to show his face or give his name, but he was distraught about his daughter’s Halloween party getting out of hand. “It was just supposed to be her friends, just turned out to be a lot of people that were not invited who ended up showing up to the party,” he said.

Two hours in, he said he kicked everyone out. “Mostly everyone started going towards the left of our property and the attack on Preston happened at that corner and we didn’t know that there was an attack,” he said.

A neighbor described it as chaos on Saturday night. “Open containers, alcohol, drinking. I had teenagers puking in my front yard. We were taking care of them,” said Jeanna Pignatiello. Those kids told her there were students from several different high schools across the East Valley. “It had been blasted out to four to five high schools. They were saying students were here from Hamilton, Perry, Casteel, Highland, some really large high schools are here,” she said.

The owner of the home where the party took place tells Arizona’s Family his daughter didn’t know Preston and didn’t go to school with him. “My daughter did not know more than half the people who ended up showing up to our house. It was not meant to be an open party,” he said.

Preston’s aunt said his heart stopped right after he was attacked. “The teenagers that we were trying to help get home just kept saying that students were performing CPR, and something happened,” Pignatiello said.

Now, several families are struggling to learn that a teen’s life was taken in such a disturbing way. “This has been very hard, we can’t sleep. We are just constantly thinking about him and his family,” the homeowner said.

In a Facebook post, police asked the public for any video that shows people or vehicles in the area between Ocotillo Road and Chandler Heights Boulevard and Sossaman Road and Hawes Road between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Anyone with videos that may help is asked to email QCDP at QCPDInvestigators@QueenCreekAZ.gov or call the non-emergency line at 480-358-3500.

No arrests have been made, and police are awaiting additional information from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“It’s just very disheartening to see this, and it’s one of the most horrific cases that you could see,” said Benjamin Taylor, a Phoenix attorney. He said whoever attacked Lord, no matter their age, could face murder charges. “A lot of times prosecutors will elevate a charge from juvenile case to adult case. So even though a person is a minor, they can be charged as an adult—meaning in a murder case—they could still be looking at life in prison,” said Taylor.

If others were participating in the attack or cheering it on, Taylor said they could receive conspiracy to commit murder charges. “This is the thing about murder cases. Even though you may not have pulled the trigger or done the punch, but if you’re holding them back or you’re there, everybody can be charged with that. If they didn’t try to prevent it or call the cops,” he said.

Even though it’s been reported the assault happened outside of the home, Taylor said Lord’s parents could sue the homeowners or the homeowners could end up with other criminal charges. “The homeowner can be found criminally liable for child abuse, negligence and for the fact that kids are in his house and someone got assaulted. The homeowner could be an accomplice to this also,” said Taylor.

Taylor said it is unlikely a homeowner in a case like this one would face murder charges.

Early Tuesday afternoon, the school released the following statement:

“We are devastated to learn of the sudden loss of a beloved Combs High School student. At this time, our district remains focused on supporting the family members, students, and school communities impacted by this tragedy. Out of respect for the privacy of the family, as well as the active investigation currently underway by the Queen Creek Police Department, no additional details will be shared at this time.

Our crisis team remains on-call and available to assist students and staff members who seek support during this difficult time. We ask that every member of our community join us in extending our deepest condolences and support to the family, as well as all who are affected by this tragedy.”

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