Police say a single shot fired into an SUV during a freeway dispute struck 11-year-old Brandon Dominguez-Chavarria.
HENDERSON, Nev. — A 22-year-old driver accused of firing into another vehicle during a road-rage confrontation on a crowded Las Vegas-area beltway shot and killed an 11-year-old boy Friday morning, police said. The suspect, identified as Tyler Matthew Johns, was arrested at the scene and remains jailed without bail.
Authorities say the shooting unfolded amid heavy traffic on Interstate 215 near Gibson Road at about 7:30 a.m. Friday, when two vehicles jockeyed for position and one attempted to pass on the shoulder. Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said the drivers lowered their windows and argued. Investigators say Johns, alone in a four-door sedan, fired a single round from a handgun into a hybrid SUV driven by the boy’s stepfather, striking the child in the back seat. The boy, identified by the coroner as Brandon Dominguez-Chavarria, was taken to a hospital and died of a gunshot wound to the head. Johns is booked on open murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle as detectives continue gathering evidence.
The declaration of arrest reviewed by investigators says Johns “spontaneously admitted” to discharging his firearm and told officers he did not know a child was inside the SUV. Police said the stepfather, identified as Valente Ayala, rammed the suspect’s car to stop it from leaving, and both vehicles came to a halt in the freeway lanes. A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer driving by encountered the scene as the men argued. Two witnesses stepped between them and opened the SUV’s rear driver-side door, where they saw the child slumped in the seat and bleeding, according to the document. “We lost a life today that we didn’t have to lose,” Rader said at a news conference, calling the killing “senseless.”
Henderson officials said first responders arrived quickly, but “despite their best efforts,” the child died at a local hospital. The coroner identified the victim Monday and confirmed the cause of death. Police said Ayala was not armed and does not own firearms. Investigators have not recovered additional shots beyond the single round they say was fired from Johns’ handgun. They also said Johns remained at the scene after the crash and complied when officers took him into custody. The freeway’s westbound lanes were closed for hours as investigators documented the scene and interviewed witnesses. The precise make and models of the vehicles were not released. Authorities did not report any injuries to other motorists.
The shooting occurred during the school commute, and officials said the boy was headed to class at the time. Henderson police described the encounter as beginning with lane-positioning in congestion, followed by one vehicle trying to pass on the shoulder. While road-rage incidents are not uncommon in the Las Vegas Valley, fatal cases involving children are rare. In recent years, Clark County agencies have expanded freeway cameras and patrol coverage during rush hours. Friday’s closure along I-215 near Gibson backed up traffic to multiple interchanges and forced detours onto surface streets, according to regional transportation updates issued that morning. The corridor is a key east-west route for commuters moving between Henderson and the airport area.
Johns made an initial court appearance Saturday and is scheduled to appear again Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time. Prosecutors filed open murder, a Nevada charge that allows a case to proceed toward first-degree murder or lesser included offenses, along with discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. He is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center pending further proceedings. Detectives said they are reviewing dashcam footage, freeway surveillance video and 911 calls, and will forward their findings to the Clark County district attorney. No other arrests were announced, and police did not indicate additional suspects are being sought. A charging decision on potential enhancements is expected after the evidence review.
On the freeway Friday, drivers waited as troopers rerouted traffic and investigators placed evidence markers near the vehicles. The suspect’s sedan and the family’s hybrid SUV came to rest in travel lanes after the impact. A motorist who stopped to help told officers he saw the men arguing before bystanders realized a child was inside the SUV. Rader, the police chief, appealed for patience on the roads, saying tempers and congestion too often lead to confrontations. Ayala told investigators he believed the shot was intended for him but struck his stepson because of the vehicles’ relative speeds at the moment of the gunfire, according to the arrest declaration.
As of Tuesday, Johns remains in custody and the case is in its early stages. Investigators plan to release additional updates after the next court hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday. The coroner’s office said final autopsy findings will be filed in the coming weeks.
Author note: Last updated November 18, 2025.