In the late hours of a Friday night in Savannah, Georgia, the life of 30-year-old Ronald Lamar Johnson, Jr., a male, was tragically cut short. On March 30, 2018, police responded to a scene of chaos on the Harry S. Truman Parkway near Wheaton Street. There, they discovered a wrecked vehicle, and inside, Johnson was found suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate response, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Another individual, Sundiadaa Miller, also 30, was present in the vehicle with Johnson and sustained injuries from the crash.
The Savannah Police Department's Violent Crimes detectives quickly launched an investigation into the fatal shooting. It was determined that the incident was not a random act of violence. Their investigation pointed to a suspect, and an arrest warrant was issued. The following days saw a city on alert as the search for the person responsible for Johnson's death intensified.
The investigation led to the identification of 27-year-old Ernest “Levon” Patterson as the primary suspect. A warrant for his arrest on the charge of murder was issued. In a turn of events, on April 1, 2018, Patterson chose to surrender to the authorities. He turned himself in to the police, bringing a swift, if somber, development to the case. Patterson was subsequently taken into custody, facing the grave charge of murder for his alleged role in the death of Ronald Johnson.
