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Heartbroken father says 13-year-old son made a decision that cost him his life


Suspect shot, killed in attempted robbery at southwest Las Vegas smoke shop Friday was 13-year-old Fabriccio Patti. 12/5/16 (Photo By: Martin Patti)
Suspect shot, killed in attempted robbery at southwest Las Vegas smoke shop Friday was 13-year-old Fabriccio Patti. 12/5/16 (Photo By: Martin Patti)
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LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) - A Las Vegas father is admitting his 13-year-old son made a bad decision that cost him his life.

Police say Fabriccio Patti was trying to rob a smoke shop with two other teens in the Southwest Valley Friday night when a clerk shot and killed him.

Martin Patti is soft-spoken when he talks about losing his only son.

"He was just a kid, doing something stupid, doing something wrong," said Martin Patti. "He wasn't a bad kid. He was a very bright kid. I have to live with this the rest of my life."

RELATED | Boy shot, killed Friday at West Flamingo smoke shop identified as 13-year-old

Last Friday afternoon, the eighth grader came home from Clifford Lawrence Middle School and asked his dad if he could go skateboarding at the nearby Desert Breeze Park.

"I wish when he asked to go to the park, I would've said no. I wish I would've said no," explained Patti.

When Fabriccio missed his 7:30 p.m. curfew, his worried mom went looking for him.

"When my wife was coming from the park, she saw all the police in the area and she told me she felt something," noted Patti.

Just around the corner from the family home, a smoke shop was surrounded by police. Detectives say Fabriccio and two other teens put on masks and tried to rob the store.

"That's pretty shocking to see something like that when they're so very young and now one of them is deceased," explained Patti.

Police said a store employee fired his gun multiple times and a bullet hit Fabriccio in the head.

RELATED | One teen dead, two other teens in custody after suspected robbery attempt

The two other teens with Fabriccio were taken into custody Friday at a nearby fast food restaurant. Police don't expect any criminal charges to be filed against the store clerk.

Detectives haven't said whether the three teens were armed during the attempted robbery.

Patti is now asking himself why his quiet and sometimes stubborn boy would become involved in a robbery. He may never have an answer.

"Believe me, I talked to him so many times. I talked to him, like Fabriccio, make the right decision. Think about your sister. Think your mom. Your grandfather. Me. But I think he tried to prove something. He tried to prove something," said Patti.


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