Police identify suspect in road rage shooting that left 11-year-old dead

An 11-year-old child was shot and killed, and a suspect is in custody after a road rage shooting Friday on the westbound 215 Beltway.

The shooting occurred around 7:30 a.m. on the 215 near Stephanie Street and Gibson Road, Henderson Police Department Chief Reggie Rader said during a news briefing.

A Metropolitan Police Department officer also was driving nearby and took the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Matthew Johns, into custody, police said.

Rader said two vehicles, an SUV and a sedan, were “jockeying for positions” on the Beltway, trying to pass each other. Both drivers rolled down their windows and began arguing before the driver of the sedan pulled out a handgun, firing once at the backseat of the SUV.

The backseat of the SUV was occupied by the driver’s 11-year-old stepchild, who was struck by the gunfire, Rader said. Afterward, the SUV driver rammed his vehicle into the shooter’s, causing both to stop in the middle of the road and sparking another “heated exchange” between the two, according to police.

Despite the efforts of first responders on the scene and medical staff at University Medical Center, the 11-year-old died from his injuries.

Johns was booked on suspicion of open murder and discharging a weapon into an occupied structure or vehicle, according to online records.

“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,” Rader said. “We usually have congestion, and tempers run high. It is not worth engaging in this type of behavior on either party. I would rather you be stuck in traffic and late for your destination than have to go to a funeral for a loved one, or potentially spend the rest of your life in prison.”

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com. Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on X.