Hollis Bradford Johnson, a 36-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot late on October 27, 2014, at the apartment complex where he lived on Chillum Road in Chillum, Maryland. Although an initial Prince George’s County Police release listed him as 39, later police reporting and biographical records identify his birth date as December 6, 1977, making him 36. Officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Chillum Road at about 11:20 p.m.
after a report of a shooting and found Johnson suffering from a gunshot wound near the entrance to his apartment. He was rushed to a hospital but died shortly afterward. Memorial and obituary records list October 28 as his date of death, indicating that he apparently survived into the early hours after the late-night shooting.
Earlier that evening, Johnson had been in Northwest Washington, D.C., watching the Washington Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football at a bar. According to his family, he returned home afterward and was talking with a friend on his cellphone as he entered the apartment building. The conversation abruptly changed before he reached his residence. The friend reportedly heard sounds resembling rustling, followed by the violence that unfolded inside the building. A gunshot was fired at approximately 11:20 p.m., and both a neighbor and the person who had been speaking with Johnson reportedly heard him cry out for help. A neighbor called 911, bringing police and emergency personnel to the scene.
Investigators soon obtained surveillance footage that provided their clearest view of the person believed responsible. The recording showed a man approaching the secured apartment building as Johnson was entering. Johnson apparently did not realize the approaching man posed a danger and held the exterior door open for him. Seconds later, police said, the man shot Johnson inside the entryway and ran back out of the building. The suspected gunman then fled in a light-colored four-door sedan described by investigators as having tinted windows and halogen headlights. Detectives said they did not believe Johnson and the shooter knew each other, leaving investigators without an obvious personal connection between the two men. No motive was publicly established.
The circumstances were especially difficult for Johnson’s relatives and friends to understand. Those close to him said they knew of no enemies he had and could not identify anyone who would have wanted to harm him. His family described him as someone who generally stayed out of trouble, with no significant history of problems with law enforcement. Friends remembered him as a peacemaker and a man with a wide circle of acquaintances. Known by the nickname “Hollywood,” Johnson had been an accomplished basketball player and continued playing into college. He later played point guard for the Washington Justice in the National Rookie League, briefly coached basketball at the University of the District of Columbia and built a professional career that included years working at Freddie Mac.
The day after the killing, Prince George’s County homicide detectives canvassed the Chillum neighborhood, distributing information and trying to locate witnesses who might have seen Johnson, the gunman or the getaway vehicle. Authorities announced a reward of as much as $25,000 for information that could lead to an arrest and indictment. Several weeks later, on November 20, police publicly released the surveillance footage of the suspect. Investigators emphasized that they believed people in the community possessed information that could help identify the killer. The case was highlighted again in December as detectives continued trying to find the man captured on the surveillance system.
A year after Johnson’s death, his family and friends were still awaiting an arrest. Loved ones gathered for a candlelight vigil while Prince George’s County Police continued to describe the investigation as active and offered the reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment. Johnson’s mother and other relatives repeatedly appealed for anyone with knowledge of what happened to come forward, hoping that identifying the person in the surveillance footage would finally explain why Johnson was killed.
No publicly reported arrest, criminal charge, trial or conviction has been identified in connection with Johnson’s killing. The unknown gunman captured on surveillance remains the central suspect described in the publicly available police information, and investigators never publicly announced a name or established motive. More recent online case material continues to characterize Johnson’s homicide as unsolved, with the identity of the person who followed him into his apartment building, shot him and fled in the light-colored sedan still unknown.
