‘There was a kid in the back’: Road rage between two Nevada men results in death of 11yo boy after one of them pulls a gun

Heartbreaking police bodycam footage has been released showing a man’s anguished reaction to the death of his stepson after a road rage incident in Las Vegas resulted in the 11-year-old boy being shot. 

Valente Ayala can be seen hysterically crying as he screams at the officer, “My kid is dead. My son.” Ayala motions towards his car where his stepson, Brandon Dominguez was dying in the backseat after being shot by another driver. Meanwhile, the suspected shooter is seen walking towards police before putting his hands behind his back.

The distressing footage was uploaded to YouTube by the LVMPD Public Records Unit on November 21 and shows the aftermath of the altercation.

What happened?

In the footage, the suspect, who has been named as Tyler Matthew Johns, explains to officers, “we were road-raging,” as he puts his hands behind his back to allow them to cuff him. The officer is then heard speaking into his radio before cuffing the suspect and putting him in the back of a police cruiser, all the while Valente Ayala desperate cries can be heard in the background.

“It’s 100% my fault.” Johns explains, “I shot at him, bro. I didn’t even know there was a kid in the back.”

Unfortunately it was too late for the young Brandon Dominguez, while he was rushed to hospital he was later pronounced dead. In the video his father can be seen lying on the ground, overwhelmed by grief, as an officer tries his best to comfort him.

Road rage kills

During a news conference, the Henderson Police Department stated that the incident occurred after one of the two drivers attempted to pass the other on the shoulder. Johns then allegedly fired a single shot at the vehicle which hit Brandon. Ayala then reportedly rammed Johns’ car into another vehicle. The two then got into a “heated exchange” until police arrived on scene. 

This particularly violent case of road rage shows just how quickly things can escalate behind the wheel. The alleged actions of Tyler Matthew Johns resulted in the death of a young boy and left a family without their son, all over some road rage. Police advised drivers to “slow down, stay patient and show restraint.”

Johns was reportedly taken into custody and held at the detention center under a $20,000 bond. He has been charged with one count of open murder with a deadly weapon enhancement as well as two weapons charges. A GoFundMe has been set up to raise funds for Brandon Dominguez’s mother.