Police say officers heard gunfire during a nearby traffic stop and found the victims minutes later.
LAS VEGAS, NV — A woman and a toddler were found shot to death inside a vehicle in south Las Vegas after police heard gunfire near a traffic stop late Monday, authorities said. The victims were discovered in a residential street in the Southern Highlands area and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The killings shook a neighborhood better known for cul-de-sacs and evening dog walks than homicide scenes. Investigators with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said they have not announced a suspect or motive, and the identity of the child had not been released publicly as of Wednesday morning. The woman was later identified by the Clark County coroner as 20-year-old Danaijha Robinson, and her death was ruled a homicide. Detectives have asked anyone who heard the shots, saw a fleeing vehicle, or has video from the area to come forward as they work to piece together what happened.
Police said the shooting happened shortly after 9 p.m. Monday, March 2. Patrol officers were conducting a vehicle stop near Starr Avenue and Interstate 15 when they heard gunfire and dispatchers received multiple reports of shots in the same area, police said. Officers searched nearby streets and located a vehicle with what police described as several apparent bullet impacts in the 11000 block of Victoria Medici Street. A woman and a toddler were inside, both suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, police said. Homicide Lt. Robert Price said officers tried to help until medical crews arrived. The victims were taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Investigators have released few details about the shooting itself, including where the gunfire came from and whether the victims were targeted. Police have not said how many shots were fired or how many times either victim was hit. In a briefing carried by local media, Price said the vehicle officers found showed multiple strikes from gunfire. Authorities also have not said whether the shooter fired from another vehicle, from the street, or from a nearby property. As of Tuesday night, Price said police did not have any suspects in custody and did not have a motive. By Wednesday morning, police still had not announced an arrest or identified a suspect publicly.
Robinson’s name became public as relatives and friends tried to make sense of the deaths and gathered support for her family. The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified Robinson on Wednesday and said her death was a homicide. The name of the toddler was still pending release, a county spokesperson said. Police have not publicly described the relationship between Robinson and the child, but Price said investigators believed the two were related while also noting the woman was not believed to be the child’s mother. A fundraising page circulating online described Robinson as watching the toddler at the time of the shooting, a detail police said remained part of the investigation.
Neighbors described being jolted awake by the gunfire and then watching the street fill with emergency vehicles. One resident interviewed by local television said the scene outside included a damaged car with windows blown out and police activity that lasted into the morning. Another neighbor told reporters he later washed blood and broken glass from the curb near his home, describing the night as frightening. Residents said the area is typically quiet, and several declined to go on camera while talking about the shock of learning a young child had been killed.
Police accounts place officers close by when the shots rang out, a detail that could help investigators narrow down the timeline and the area where the shooter may have fled. Officers were already in the vicinity for the unrelated traffic stop near Starr Avenue when they heard the gunfire, police said. FOX5 reported that Robinson’s family said she had been driving home and stopped near Victoria Medici Street around the time a friend’s car was pulled over by police nearby, and they believe shots were fired then. The station also reported it obtained surveillance video that appeared to show another car speeding through the area minutes after the shooting. Police have not released video publicly or provided a description of a suspect vehicle in official statements.
The location of the shooting sits on the southwest edge of the Las Vegas Valley, near Interstate 15 and the master-planned Southern Highlands community. The area includes newer homes, small neighborhood parks, and local roads that connect to busier corridors like Starr Avenue and Dean Martin Drive. On Monday night, the intersection and nearby streets drew a heavy police presence as investigators secured the scene, checked surrounding properties, and looked for evidence. Neighbors told reporters that officers moved quickly to search yards and side streets as they tried to locate a suspect soon after the gunfire.
Homicide investigations in Las Vegas typically involve canvassing for witnesses, collecting shell casings and ballistic evidence, and seeking video from doorbell cameras and private surveillance systems. Police encouraged residents in the area to review any footage that might show a person running, a vehicle leaving quickly, or anything unusual around the time the shots were fired. Investigators also rely on phone tips, interviews, and digital evidence to map movements in the minutes before and after a shooting. In this case, detectives have emphasized that the shooting unfolded quickly and that any small detail may help identify who fired and why.
Authorities said formal identification details, along with cause and manner of death, come through the coroner’s office. By Wednesday, the coroner had publicly identified Robinson but had not released the toddler’s name. Police have not said whether family members were present at the scene or arrived later at the hospital. They also have not said whether the victims’ vehicle was moving or parked when it was shot. The lack of a described motive has left neighbors and relatives with unanswered questions, and police have said only that the case remains active and open.
Police asked anyone with information to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section. Investigators often look for people who may have heard arguing, saw a vehicle circling, or noticed someone walking away from the area in the moments after the shots. Detectives also want to hear from drivers who passed through the Starr Avenue corridor around 9 p.m. Monday and may have dash camera video. Tips can help confirm the direction a suspect fled and whether more than one person was involved.
What happens next will depend on what detectives can establish about the shooter’s identity and the circumstances surrounding the deaths. If police identify a suspect, prosecutors could seek an arrest warrant, and the case would move into court with an initial hearing and later proceedings in Clark County. If investigators believe the shooting was connected to a dispute, a domestic situation, or a retaliation, they may look for ties through interviews and records. Police have not publicly scheduled another briefing, but officials commonly provide updates after key steps such as identifying a suspect, releasing a vehicle description, or asking for help with specific evidence.
For now, the street where the victims were found has returned to its normal traffic, but residents said the shock has lingered. Some described checking on neighbors and paying closer attention to late-night sounds. Others said they were focused on the child, calling the death especially difficult to understand. Friends of Robinson described her as young and full of plans, and relatives told local media they were struggling to process that she and a toddler could be killed in what they believed was a routine drive home.
The investigation remained open Wednesday, March 4, with police saying they still needed information from the public and had not announced a suspect or motive. The next expected milestone is the release of the toddler’s identity by the coroner’s office and any formal police update if detectives develop suspect information.
Author note: Last updated March 4, 2026.