I’ve been known to have a bad temper behind the wheel. If I’m cut off or stuck behind a texter, from the safety of my car I typically give them an unfiltered piece of my mind. But the truth is, I never ever let them fully see it, nor do I do anything to escalate it beyond that because in the United States, it is safe to assume the other drive likely has a gun.
In fact, according to Everytown, 365 people were shot in road rage incidents in 2023, and 118 of them died. That staggering figure means someone was shot or killed by road rage every 18 hours in the US.
One family is grappling with their own road rage loss after Brandon Dominguez-Chavarria, 11, was shot and killed in Las Vegas. The elementary school student was riding in his stepfather’s car on the way to school when two drivers began “jockeying for positions” in traffic. According to USA Today, Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said the two drivers were trying to pass each other on Interstate 215 using the shoulder, and both drivers ending up rolling down their windows and began engaging in “a verbal exchange.”
The sedan driver, later identified as Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, fired one round from his handgun into the other vehicle, a small hybrid SUV, which hit the boy in the back seat. He died from his injuries at the hospital.
Local news outlets 8 News Now reported that Rubi Chavarria, Dominguez-Chavarria’s mother, had a direct message for Johns following the death of her son.
“You deserve to be in there for as long as you need to be in there because my son is never coming back,” she said. “There’s no excuse for you to be raging that bad for you to try to shoot at somebody who’s scared just because you don’t to go in front of you. There’s no excuse for that.”
She went on to tell the outlet that her son was just simply on his way to Hannah Marie Brown Elementary School.
“He was just trying to make it to school on time that morning. That’s all he was doing, if you guys would’ve saw his backpack, he had his lunch bag ready,” she shared. “This could be avoided. This shouldn’t happen to any more families. Because I don’t want anybody else to feel the way we’re feeling. To get a phone call saying that your son got shot.”
Dominguez-Chavarria’s family set up a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of the funeral.
“He woke up every morning excited for school, eager to learn, and ready to make memories with his friends,” the fundraiser description read. “He adored playing soccer, diving into his Roblox games, and spending quality time with all of us. Whether he was laughing, sharing stories, or simply sitting close, Brandon made every moment feel special. He had dreams, hopes, and a future we were so excited to watch him grow into.”
According to 8 News Now, Johns appeared virtually in Henderson Justice Court on November 15, 2025, facing multiple felony charges that include:
- Open murder with a deadly weapon.
- Discharging a firearm from or within a structure or vehicle within a prohibited area.
- Discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, according to court records.
He was still in custody without bail and was scheduled to return to court on November 18.
