In a quiet neighborhood in the far east Las Vegas Valley, the evening of January 9, 2020, was shattered by violence that would end the life of 49-year-old Randall Johnson, a Black male. Johnson was at home with his fiancée, Shanel Montez, and her two young sons when a knock came at the door of their residence on Za Zu Pitts Avenue. The visitor was Cleveland Haddicks, his fiancée's ex-husband.
An argument erupted between the two men, escalating quickly into a physical altercation.
The terrifying scene was witnessed by Montez's 9-year-old son, who bravely called 911 to report the shooting. On the phone with his mother, the boy described the argument and then the sound of gunshots. Responding to the child's call around 8:50 p.m., police arrived to find a complex crime scene and Randall Johnson deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
Law enforcement began an immediate search for the suspect. A police helicopter circling the area spotted Haddicks nearby and guided patrol units to his location, leading to his swift arrest. Cleveland Haddicks, 41 at the time, was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Family and friends described the situation as a tragic outcome of a domestic dispute, with Montez stating that Haddicks had threatened her in the past.
Randall Johnson, a native of Gramercy, Louisiana, and a resident of Las Vegas, was remembered as a reserved man with funny moments who was deeply cherished by his family. He was a 1989 graduate of Lutcher High School and had worked as a Lead Operator at Timet in Las Vegas for 15 years. He is survived by his daughter, a stepdaughter, and a stepson. His sudden and violent death left his loved ones in Houston and Louisiana grieving and seeking answers for a crime they felt was senseless and undeserved.
