LAS VEGAS -- A man who fatally shot his mother in the desert near his childhood home, setting off a violent high-speed police chase through the suburbs of Las Vegas as he carjacked bystanders and shot at officers, was armed with two rifles, authorities said.
Police say one of the rifles had been stolen from a gun show.
The rampage two days after Christmas left three people dead: The killer, his mother and a bystander who was on his way to work when he pulled over for the emergency vehicles pursuing the suspect. Jerry Lopez, a 39-year-old father of seven, unknowingly entered the killer's path and was killed.
At a news conference Friday, Clark County Assistant Sheriff Yesenia Yatomi played dramatic video showing a pursuit that reached 104 mph and provided photos of evidence collected by investigators that Yatomi said suggests the killer could have been planning for a much larger attack. The evidence included a notebook with a diagram "of a potential ambush situation," a stockpile of items that could be used to build firearm silencers and explosive devices, more firearms and loaded magazines, and documents outlining how law enforcement agencies respond "to mass casualty incidents."
"We do not know if the suspect was attempting to build an improvised explosive device," she said. "With the materials we found in his homes, we do not know why the suspect started shooting."
The killer was identified as 36-year-old Justin Davidson. According to Yatomi, he had a lengthy criminal history dating to 2009, including arrests on drug and weapons charges.
The rampage began before dawn Wednesday, when officers were called to investigate reports of gunfire coming from a desert area near Davidson's childhood home in southeastern Las Vegas. Yatomi said the suspect's parents were awakened by the gunshots and, believing their son was firing rounds in the desert, drove there to look for him.
According to Yatomi, Davidson opened fire on his parents just as officers arrived, killing his mother, Liza Leveille-Davidson.
Yatomi said the suspect then fired at officers, and as they ran for cover, Davidson shot out the windows of a police cruiser. He sped away toward the southwestern edge of the city.
Security footage played during the news conference showed Davidson carjacking bystanders at gunpoint at two different gas stations during the pursuit. Yatomi said a Las Vegas police officer fired nine rounds at the suspect during the first carjacking, striking him at least once.
After the second carjacking, Nevada State Police troopers joined the chase.
That's when the suspect encountered a white van pulling over to make room for the emergency vehicles. In an attempt to evade the growing number of officers chasing him, police said, the suspect shot the driver multiple times.
Police dashcam video showed the suspect push the victim's motionless body out of the van and run him over as he raced off, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Karen Lopez said her husband had just left for work as a driver for a medical linen supply company and was minutes away from their home when he was killed.
Married for 13 years, Karen and Jerry Lopez fostered 12 children together since 2017. Six of the children returned to their biological parents. They adopted the other six, making their 11-year-old biological son a big brother to two sisters and four brothers.
Karen Lopez said she and her children are struggling to make sense of a senseless death: The eldest keeps texting his father's phone to tell him how much he loves him. One of the 5-year-olds is angry that he hasn't yet seen a photo of his dad in heaven.
"He was such an amazing father to our kids," Karen Lopez said.
Originally from Mexico, Jerry Lopez lived in Southern California before moving to Las Vegas in 2006. He met his future wife through mutual friends at church.