Background: Surveillance camera footage of the 215 Beltway in Las Vegas, Nev. during the alleged incident on Nov. 14 (Regional Transport Commission of Southern Nevada via WHAS). Inset: Tyler Matthew Johns (Henderson Police Department).
A Nevada man was denied bail days after he was charged with fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy during a road rage incident.
Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, appeared in court via Zoom on Saturday the day after he was arrested in connection with an alleged road rage incident on the 215 Beltway in Las Vegas on Friday. Johns was charged with open murder, discharging a firearm from or within a structure or vehicle within a prohibited area, and discharging a firearm into an occupied structure. The Henderson Police Department said that Johns got into a verbal altercation with another driver, who was driving his 11-year-old stepson to school on Friday morning.
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During a press conference on Friday, Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said that around 7:30 a.m. that day, two drivers on the westbound 215 Beltway were "jockeying for positions, trying to pass each other on the congested freeway." One of them tried to pass the other using the shoulder, at which point the drivers "rolled down their windows and got into a verbal exchange."
Rader said that during the verbal altercation, Johns allegedly pulled out his handgun and fired into the other driver's vehicle, hitting the 11-year-old boy who was sitting in the back seat. The boy was the other driver's stepson. Neither the boy nor the other driver have been identified publicly.
After the alleged shooting, Rader said the other driver "rammed" into Johns' vehicle, "causing them both to come to a stop in the middle of the freeway." The two men got out of their vehicles and got into a "heated exchange." Rader said that a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer who was driving nearby was "hailed down" and stopped. That officer placed Johns into custody.
The boy was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
At the press conference, Rader said, "I just want to remind everybody that we lost a life today that we didn't have to lose. An 11-year-old was on his way to school and this senseless act took his life. I need everybody to be patient on our roadways. We have an obligation to look out for each other."
He added, "It is not worth it to engage in this type of behavior."
Johns was denied bail during his court appearance on Saturday and remains in custody. He is due back in court on Tuesday.