Clark County public review presents facts in officer-involved shooting that killed Justin Davidson

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jory Scarborough opened the Clark County public fact-finding review by emphasizing: "This is not a trial. The purpose of today's proceeding is to present the public with the essential facts surrounding the death of Justin Davidson." The hearing, held under Chapter 2.12, presented evidence and witness statements about a sequence of shootings, multiple carjackings and three officer‑involved shootings on Dec. 27, 2023.

Detective Andrew Evans, the lead investigator from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Force Investigation Team, testified to a reconstructed timeline that began with an initial shooting near Warm Springs and Bermuda and ended when officers located a white van stopped at Durango and Agate. Evans said the decedent was identified as 36‑year‑old Justin Davidson and that an autopsy by Dr. Schaller listed cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds and manner of death as homicide.

Evans and the district attorney's office displayed body‑worn camera and dash‑camera video and crime‑scene photographs. The timeline the detective gave places officers on scene at about 03:52 a.m.; at about 04:17 a.m. a pursuit involved a blue Ford Raptor and then a red Chevrolet Traverse; at about 04:22–04:24 a red SUV, a white van and a subsequent pursuit led to the final custody location at Durango and Agate, where Davidson was found deceased.

Evans said investigators recovered multiple weapons attributed to Davidson: an AK‑style rifle with an obliterated serial number that required forensic restoration, a .308‑caliber Sig Sauer AR reported stolen from a local gun show, and a Glock 47 9mm also reported stolen. He said the tactical vest recovered from Davidson was labeled as level III body armor. Photographs shown at the review documented bullet impacts to vehicles and the van, and a rifle that was found on the ground outside the van.

The detective provided initial firearms tallies as part of the investigation record: Officer McKeel was reported to have fired nine rounds; Officer Brooks, 13 rounds; Trooper Moran, approximately 22 rounds; Trooper Villanueva, eight rounds; and Trooper Kincaid, 11 rounds. Evans also summarized officers' voluntary walk-throughs, in which some officers gave slightly different self‑estimates (for example, McKeel later said he fired about seven to eight rounds; Brooks said he fired eight to 10). The review record shows troopers gave statements in the presence of attorneys or union representatives.

Evans identified two homicide victims separate from Davidson: an individual identified by initials LD (the decedent's mother) and GM (the person later pushed from the van). He also identified several carjacking victims by initials and listed officer victims by last name in the investigative file. Evans said officers reported being shot at during parts of the sequence; he said he was not aware of any severe officer injuries reported.

Evans reported toxicology findings he recited from records: amphetamine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, hydrocodone and several other substances were present in Davidson's system. The detective said several firearms recovered had been reported stolen.

Ombudsman Carl Arnold — appointed by the Clark County manager to represent the public and the Davidson family for the review — had an opportunity to question the detective. Arnold asked about officers' prior involvement in shootings, Davidson's background, the source of the weapons and the content of the toxicology. Arnold told the presiding officer that family members he contacted declined to participate.

Scarborough and the presiding officer repeatedly reminded attendees that Chapter 2.12 grants the review no subpoena power, that the process is informal and that the review will not render a formal determination as to cause or manner of death beyond the coroner's findings. The transcript and video presented will be made available as public record on the Clark County website, the presiding officer said.

The proceeding concluded after presentation of the investigative timeline, witness walk‑through summaries, photographs and body camera footage. The district attorney's office provided the review materials to the ombudsman and presiding officer prior to the hearing. No written public questions were submitted during the review, the record shows.