A father of seven in Las Vegas died on his way to work when he was abducted by a heavily armed man wanted by police for shooting his own mother.
Gerardo “Jerry” Lopez-Martinez, 39, had just left the house at about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday when he was stopped by gunman Justin Davidson, 36, who had killed his mother and swiped a squad car after opening fire on police who responded, according to authorities.
“The guy just walked up and shot my husband and threw him out of the vehicle,” Lopez-Martinez’s wife of 13 years, Karen Lopez, told KVVU.
The killers then “ran into him and took our vehicle,” he said.
Four officers saw Davidson shoot the father and push him out of the vehicle, hitting him as he fled despite being hit several times, police said.
The gunman – who also carjacked another vehicle in the terrifying incident – was later found dead in Lopez-Martinez’s stolen vehicle, police said.
Gerardo “Jerry” Lopez-Martinez, a father of seven from Las Vegas, was killed by gunmen who were preparing for an ambush. Courtesy of Karen Lopez Davidson is accused of killing Lopez-Martinez in his white van. KVVU-TV Police investigate the scene in the area of Blue Diamond Road and Durango Drive in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. AP
He was wearing camouflage clothing and a tactical vest and investigators found a notebook “with diagrams of potential ambush situations indicating he was preparing for an armed confrontation with law enforcement,” police said.
“At two residences associated with Davidson, investigators found tactical equipment, preparatory supplies, numerous military manuals, and documents regarding police responses to mass casualty incidents.”
Lopez said her husband was excited to work as a driver for a medical linen supplier because he had recently been promoted. He likely stopped because he saw the police chasing the killer.
She broke down when told what happened to the man who “always made me feel loved.”
Gerardo “Jerry” Lopez-Martinez, his wife, Karen, and their seven children. GoFundMe
“My stepfather had to catch me because I just collapsed in the middle of the road like I passed out because I couldn’t hold it, it didn’t seem real,” he said.
The loss was also too heavy for their seven adopted children, especially their eldest, an 11-year-old son.
“Last night she kept sending messages on my husband’s phone and she said, ‘I know you won’t answer but I hope you can still read the messages and know that I love him,'” the widow told KVVU.
“We should have grown old together and raised them together.”
The deadly rampage began after Davidson fired a gun in his parents’ backyard, police said.
Justin Davidson is accused of killing a father of seven while on the run after killing his own mother. AP
“As his parents approached the washing area, Davidson began shooting at them, killing his mother,” police said. “The father retreated to his vehicle and Davidson fired at the fleeing truck.”
When police arrived, the gunman began shooting at them from a hidden location, shooting out the window of the patrol car and taking off inside, according to investigators.
Davidson soon bailed out of the police car and held up a truck full of people at gunpoint without harming them, police said.
Karen Lopez said her husband had just left for work as a driver for a medical linen supply company when he was killed. KVVU-TV
He drove the truck to a gas station and attempted to rob a driver who was pumping gas, fleeing as police chased and opened fire.
He then cornered Lopez-Martinez and shot him to death with a long rifle, police said.
Gerardo “Jerry” Lopez-Martinez and his wife, Karen, in an undated photo. AP The couple adopted six of their seven children. Sincerely Karen Lopez
Among the weapons Davidson used was an assault rifle with an obliterated serial number that was stolen from a gun show in Las Vegas, authorities said.
Clark County Sheriff’s Assistant Yasenia Yatomi provided photos of evidence collected by investigators indicating he may have planned a large-scale attack.
Two of the police assault rifles were recovered from the gunman. AP
The evidence included notebooks with hand-drawn diagrams of “potential ambush situations,” a cache of items that could be used to build gun silencers and explosive devices, and documents outlining how police would respond “to mass casualty incidents .”
“We don’t know if the suspect is trying to build an improvised explosive device,” Yatomi told reporters. “With the material we found in his house, we don’t know why the suspect started shooting.”
Clark County Assistant Sheriff Yasenia Yatomi said she did not know if the suspect was planning to build an IED. AP
Davidson, who was wearing camouflage and a tactical vest during the rampage, has a long criminal history dating back to 2009, including arrests on drug and weapons charges, he said.
Yatomi said investigators searched the desert area where Davidson started shooting.
They found loaded caliber magazines in several locations, but authorities still don’t know if the bullets were left behind when the police chase began or if he had hidden them there for some time.
Police have more locations to search as part of the investigation, but for now, Yatomi said: “We’ve painted a picture and I’ve shown you evidence of a story that should be very disturbing.”
A GoFundMe page for the family has raised more than $388,000 as of Tuesday morning.
By Postal Wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
