Nevada Authorities Decline Charges Against Stepfather in Henderson Road Rage Killing of 11-Year-Old Boy as Bodycam Footage Is Released

Nevada authorities have released bodycam footage capturing the anguished reaction of a stepfather whose 11-year-old stepson was shot and killed during a road rage incident in Henderson, Nevada earlier this month. Prosecutors confirmed they will not pursue charges against the stepfather, despite initially reviewing the possibility.

The video, released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, shows Valente Ayala moments after his stepson, Brandon Dominguez-Chavarria, was fatally shot while Ayala was driving the boy to school. In the footage, Ayala is heard screaming, “My kid is dead. My son!” as he points toward his vehicle in shock and despair. Officers are also seen handcuffing Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, who immediately accepts responsibility.

“We were road-raging,” Johns tells police in the recording. “It’s 100 percent my fault. I shot at him, dude. I didn’t even know he had a kid in the car.”

An officer is later seen kneeling by Ayala and taking his hand in an attempt to comfort him as he lies on the ground in distress.

Brandon Dominguez, 11, was in the back seat of his stepdad’s car heading to school when he was shot dead.

According to investigators, the November 14 confrontation began on the westbound 215 Beltway near Gibson Road, where Ayala and Johns were maneuvering aggressively and exchanging words before Johns fired into Ayala’s vehicle. The bullet struck Brandon in the head, killing him. Realizing the boy had been hit, Ayala rammed Johns’s vehicle to prevent him from escaping, and both men then confronted each other until a passerby flagged down a police officer.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said prosecutors evaluated whether Ayala’s actions could constitute child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. After reviewing videos and evidence, they ultimately declined to file charges.

“To prove child abuse or neglect, there has to be a certain degree of behavior,” Wolfson said. “After reviewing all the evidence, what he did that day doesn’t rise to that level.”

Attorney Matthew Hoffman told News3LV that investigators would have needed clear evidence that Ayala was the aggressor or made threats during the road dispute. “Apparently, it wasn’t there,” Hoffman said.

Ayala, the boy’s stepfather, screamed “my kid is dead” at officers following the road rage shooting.

Some witness statements suggested that Ayala may have been the aggressor, according to police documents cited by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. After the shooting, the two men continued arguing in the roadway.

Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader condemned the shooting, calling it a devastating reminder of how quickly moments of anger on the road can escalate into irreversible tragedy. Authorities urged drivers to exercise patience, noting that “a brief moment of frustration cost a child his life.”

Tyler Matthew Johns has been charged with open murder with a deadly weapon enhancement and several firearms-related offenses. He remains in custody at the Henderson Detention Center.