Road rage driver faces death penalty after alleged killing of boy aged 11

A driver accused of shooting dead an 11-year-old boy during a horrifying road rage incident could face the death penalty if convicted. Tyler Johns, 22, is accused of killing Brandon Dominguez on a freeway in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 14. Heart-wrenching footage emerged of Brandon's devastated stepfather Valente Ayala screaming 'my kid is dead' after the altercation. Johns and Ayala had allegedly been locked in road rage behavior as they jockeyed for position and tried to pass each other on the congested freeway moments before the shooting.

The matter appeared in Henderson Justice Court last week, were a judge determined there was enough evidence against Johns to move the case onto the district court. There, prosecutors on Thursday revealed they are considering seeking the death penalty against Johns. Johns is scheduled to enter a plea in January relating to the murder charge. Prosecutors could announce during that hearing whether they intend to pursue the death penalty. The state of Nevada has not put a person to death since 2006, despite still offering the death penalty. Extraordinary body camera footage from the moments after the altercation captured Johns appearing to admit to the crime.

He approached the officer at the scene and offered his hands behind his back. 'Officer, take me,' Johns said. 'I shot at him, bro. I didn't know it was a [expletive] kid in the back.' 'It's 100 percent my fault. I shot at him, dude. I didn't even know he had a kid in the car.' Meanwhile, Ayala pleaded: 'My kid is dead.' The footage continued with Ayala sprawled out on the road, cussing and wailing at the tragic death of his stepson. Johns' attorney in the initial hearing this week maintained the shooting was accidental. He remains in custody without bail.

Police claim both men rolled their respective windows down and got into a verbal dispute, when Johns pulled out a handgun and fired into the back seat of the other vehicle. Little Brandon was on his way to school. As Johns was cuffed and then moved into the police car, Ayala's cries could still be heard in the background. Later in the video, Johns asked the officer: 'Is there any chance that the kid will be okay?' 'There's always a chance. I don't know. After 20 years, I've kinda seen everything happen,' the cop responded. 'If you're a praying man, I would be praying a lot for him right now.'

The suspect also asked if police could message his workplace that 'I am not going to be there' or whether he would be able to text his boss that 'he won't be making it in today.' The officer briefly uncuffed Johns so he could use his phone to message his employer, then restrained him again. The November 14 shooting began when both vehicles started 'jockeying for positions, trying to pass each other on the congested freeway,' according to Henderson police chief Reggie Rader. '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,' he said.

Rader said: '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. 'We have to do better as a city, we have to do better as a community. We have to do better as human beings, because we can't allow this to continue to happen.' He was charged with open murder, discharging a gun at or into a vehicle and discharging a gun within a vehicle in a prohibited area, per police records. The child was treated by the Henderson Fire Department and then rushed to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died.