Justin Davidson stole a police cruiser, carjacked three vehicles, killed his mother and one of his carjacking victims, and fired dozens of shots at police officers.
A Las Vegas man is dead after leading police on a wild chase this week through the Valley’s southwest side that included multiple car-jackings, a stolen police cruiser, and two murders.
Investigators said they found evidence indicating that the suspect, 36-year-old Justin Davidson, may have planned an “armed confrontation” with police.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Yasenia Yatomi said the suspect was found dead shortly after the second murder. He used two weapons — a Sig Sauer .308 rifle that was stolen from a gun show and an “AK-47-style” rifle with its serial number removed — and fired multiple shots at police officers during the spree.
More weapons and magazines were found at the home where the shooting began with murder of his mother. Davidson’s father escaped and was not hurt, Yatomi said.
Yatomi said the ordeal began shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday morning with multiple reports of a shooting in a wash area behind Davidson’s parents’ home. The gunshots woke the parents, who thought Davidson was shooting in the wash for some reason. They drove to the area where Davidson was shooting and walked into the wash.
Davidson fired at them, “striking and killing his mother.” The father escaped and got into his vehicle. Davidson fired at the vehicle, striking it.
Officers arrived as the father was trying flee, and Davidson fired at least two dozen shots at them “from a concealed location in the wash” then walked to a “running but locked” patrol vehicle, shot out the windows, and drove off.
Officers, who did not return fire in the wash, gave chase at speeds over 100 mph.
The officers chasing Davidson lost sight of him. He pulled the patrol vehicle into a gas station, where he carjacked a truck with four occupants. Surveillance video from the station showed the victims escape unharmed, but Davidson promptly rammed into a cement pole. He backed off the pole, however, and kept driving.
He pulled into another gas station, where he carjacked an SUV with two people inside, who were not hurt. Las Vegas Police Officer Jacob Mekeel arrived on the scene and fired at Davidson. Yatomi said blood was later found inside the SUV, leading detectives to believe that “one or more rounds struck the suspect.”
But still Davidson drove away, heading onto Durango, where he made an abrupt U-turn near a white van doing the same maneuver. Video showed him pull alongside and fire into the driver’s side window of the van, striking the driving and causing the van to stop. Davidson then jumped out of the stolen SUV and ran to the passenger side of the van. He fired through the passenger side window and got inside.
Officers arriving on scene then saw the driver’s door open “and saw the suspect push the motionless victim out of the van.” The four officers on scene fired 53 rounds as the suspect drove off, running over the victim’s head as he did so.
and got in. Video shows him shoving the body of the “motionless victim,” identified as 38-year-old Jerry Lopez, out the driver’s side door. The van came to a stop not far from the scene.
A SWAT team eventually moved on the vehicle after seeing no movement and found Davidson dead inside. wearing camouflage clothing and a tactical vest.
A search made of the area behind his parents’ home found evidence that led investigators to believe he was planning an “armed confrontation” with police. Detectives seized several loaded magazines and notebooks detailing his plans. More magazines, multiple weapons, 60 electronic devices, and more notebooks were found inside residences in Las Vegas and Henderson connected to Davidson.
Yatomi said Davidson has a “long criminal history” dating back to 2009 and including multiple weapons and drug arrests.
Yatomi said that the investigation was in the “very preliminary stages” and that an autopsy would determine Davidson’s cause of death, but, she said, investigators had found “no evidence” that he shot himself.
Five officers — two Las Vegas officers and three state troopers — returned fire, Yatomi said, and Davidson was hit “multiple times.” She identified the officers who fired as Las Vegas Officers Mekeel and Timothy Brooks and State Troopers Martin Moran, Danny Kincaid, and Luis Villanueva.
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[Featured image: Scene of the final carjacking. Inset: Justin Davidson/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department]
