In the early morning hours of October 20, 2021, Jared Stevens, a 26-year-old Black / African American male, tragically lost his life in a violent encounter in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stevens had arranged to meet individuals at Silver Bowl Park for a marijuana transaction. The meeting, however, took a fatal turn. During the course of the deal, something went wrong, and Stevens was shot in the abdomen. Despite being gravely wounded, he managed to call 911 for help.
When police arrived at the scene on East Russell Road, they found Stevens suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, but unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the homicide quickly revealed that the incident was a robbery gone wrong. Detectives were able to identify three suspects believed to be involved in the shooting and robbery of Jared Stevens. Roman Johnson, 21 at the time, was arrested in the days following the incident and faced charges of open murder and robbery. Police found two cell phones at the scene, one of which belonged to Johnson. He was also seen on surveillance video in the vehicle connected to the homicide. The investigation continued, leading to the identification of two other suspects.
Further investigation led to the arrests of Derrick Braggs, 23, and Jaylen Brimley-Fair. Both men were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and robbery with a deadly weapon. According to police reports, Braggs was the driver of the vehicle that brought Johnson and Brimley-Fair to the park. During questioning, Braggs admitted to driving the other two away from the scene after Johnson allegedly shot Stevens. Brimley-Fair provided a similar account, stating that they had gone to the park where Johnson shot Stevens and then stole jars of marijuana, tattooing equipment, a video game console, and clothing from him. The evidence gathered by police, including text messages between Stevens and Johnson setting up the meeting, helped to piece together the events of that fatal night.
