Police say Hester Johnson, 75, was shot during an early morning robbery while walking with her sister in southwest Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS, NV — A 75-year-old woman was shot and killed May 12 during an early morning robbery while walking with her sister in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, police said.
Hester Johnson’s death has moved from a neighborhood tragedy into a wider robbery case after police accused 24-year-old Devion Teague of killing her and later linked him to two earlier west valley sidewalk robberies. Teague is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center as the case moves toward a July 1 preliminary hearing.
Johnson and her 78-year-old sister, identified in an interview as Ms. Washington, had been on a regular morning walk near Rochelle Avenue and Halo Hollyhock Street, close to Flamingo Road and Fort Apache Road. Police said dispatchers received a call about 5:47 a.m. after gunfire broke the quiet routine. Washington said the sisters often walked together before sunrise and were taking part in an ordinary habit when a masked man came around a corner. “My sister and I loved to walk and people can’t even walk in the streets now,” Washington said. Police said Teague approached the women with a gun and demanded their belongings. Washington told investigators Johnson was hard of hearing and said “What?” before she was shot in the chest.
Officers found Johnson with a gunshot wound when they arrived. She was pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving efforts, police said. The surviving sister told investigators she feared she also would be shot, so she handed over her belongings. Police said the gunman took Johnson’s satchel, which contained her cell phone, a water bottle and keys. An arrest report said surveillance video showed the suspect walk east on Rochelle Avenue, approach both women and shoot Johnson almost immediately. The video also showed the suspect taking items from Johnson as she lay on the ground and taking property from Washington before leaving. Police said the shooting was not believed to involve someone Johnson knew. Lt. Robert Price of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said investigators did not believe, based on their initial review, that the victim knew the person who attacked her.
Detectives said surveillance cameras later showed a gray Audi SUV arriving in the area around 5:43 a.m. and leaving after the shooting at a high rate of speed. Police said the same Audi was later reported stolen. Investigators located the vehicle just before 11:30 a.m. in an alley about 400 feet from the registered owner’s address. Police said historical location data from the Audi placed it near the shooting when it happened. Investigators also used an emergency pen register and phone records to track Teague’s phone, which police said was in the area at the time of the killing. Detectives with Metro’s Major Violators Section called Teague, and police said he answered and agreed to walk outside at an apartment complex, where he was arrested Tuesday afternoon.
The arrest report said the Audi belonged to the mother of Teague’s children. Police said she told investigators Teague came over that morning to smoke and did not live there. She denied knowing anything about the killing, according to the report. Police also said Teague had an active warrant in a separate auto burglary and conspiracy to commit auto burglary case. Prosecutors charged him in the Johnson case with open murder with use of a deadly weapon and robbery counts. Court records and police reports later listed suspicion of first-degree murder and four robbery counts after investigators said they found links to two earlier robberies. Teague made an initial court appearance May 13 and remained in custody without bail after a judge ordered him held as the case continued.
Police reports said the first earlier robbery was reported April 30 at Viking Road and Climbing Rose Street, near Cimarron and Flamingo roads. In that case, a victim told police she was walking around 6 a.m. when a man with a gun approached and demanded her phone and necklace. She complied, and the robber walked away. Police said the stolen phone was tracked to a building in the 6000 block of Vegas Drive, but officers did not find the phone or the robber at that time. A second robbery was reported May 1 near Hualapai and Peace ways. Police said that victim was walking to a school bus stop when two younger men approached, showed guns and took a phone, backpack and school-issued Chromebook. The victim said the robbers forced him to unlock the phone before leaving.
Investigators said they later reviewed the earlier reports after Teague’s arrest in Johnson’s death because the crimes shared similar details. Police said the April 30 phone was tracked to Teague’s residence and that the suspect description matched him. In the May 1 robbery, police said Teague matched one of the suspects seen in surveillance video. Investigators also said GPS information from the Audi placed the SUV in the area of Hualapai and Peace ways at the time of that robbery. The records do not say that anyone has been convicted in the cases. Teague has not had a preliminary hearing, and the allegations remain pending in court. His public defender asked at the first hearing to waive arguments until later court proceedings.
The killing left neighbors shaken in an area where residents said they had seen Johnson and Washington walking before. A small memorial grew near the site where Johnson was shot. One neighbor said violence like that was unusual for the area and that the sisters were familiar faces on their morning route. Summer Bontrager, who lives in the southwest valley, said the shooting changed the feeling of the neighborhood even for routine activities. “I get off work usually at 9 p.m., so like 9 p.m. and after, normally, which, yeah, it’s a little spooky and scary,” Bontrager said. Washington said she struggled to understand why anyone would target two older women. “He took a life for no reason,” she said.
Washington described the final seconds as sudden and confusing. She said she saw the man’s mask, heard Johnson respond and then watched the attack unfold. “I couldn’t believe what was happening,” Washington said. “I heard another shot and I’m thinking, why is he shooting her?” She said Johnson was more than a walking partner. “She was my best friend,” Washington said. “I don’t know how I’m going to go through life like this without her.” Police have not publicly released every piece of evidence in the case, and it was not immediately clear what property was recovered after Teague’s arrest. The condition of the surviving victim was not described in detail in the first reports.
Teague remains held without bail in Clark County as of May 21. His next major court date is a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 1, when a judge is expected to review whether the case should move forward.
Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.