A violent rampage that spanned across Las Vegas in the early morning hours of December 27, 2023, ended the life of 58-year-old Liza Leveille-Davidson. The female victim was the first of two people killed by her son in a chaotic series of events that began before dawn.
The incident started when police were called to investigate reports of gunfire in a desert area in southeastern Las Vegas.
Hearing the shots, Liza and her husband believed their son, 36-year-old Justin Davidson, was responsible and drove to the desert to find him. As they and police officers arrived at the scene, Justin Davidson opened fire on them. Liza Leveille-Davidson was struck by the gunfire and died from a gunshot wound to the torso.
After shooting his mother, Davidson, who was armed with two rifles and wearing camouflage clothing with a tactical vest, fired at the officers. As they took cover, he shot out the windows of a police cruiser and fled, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase toward the southwestern edge of the city. During the pursuit, Davidson carjacked two different vehicles at gunpoint from gas stations. In the first carjacking, a police officer fired several rounds at him, striking him at least once.
Undeterred, Davidson continued his flight in a newly stolen vehicle. He soon encountered 39-year-old Gerardo “Jerry” Lopez-Martinez, who had pulled his white van over to the side of the road to make way for the approaching emergency vehicles. Davidson shot and killed Lopez-Martinez, dragged his body from the van, and stole the vehicle to continue his attempt to escape.
The chase ended when officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Nevada State Police fired numerous rounds into the van, striking Davidson multiple times and bringing the vehicle to a stop. SWAT officers approached and found Justin Davidson deceased inside. Investigators later discovered that he possessed military handbooks and a journal entry that detailed a potential confrontation with law enforcement.
Justin Davidson was the sole suspect in the murders of his mother, Liza Leveille-Davidson, and Gerardo Lopez-Martinez. Because Davidson died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, the investigation was closed. As of December 2023, the case is considered solved with the primary suspect deceased, precluding any criminal prosecution.
