In the spring of 2019, a burst of gunfire shattered the late afternoon calm on Addison Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, irrevocably altering the lives of many. On March 27th, Mikeith Johnson, a 17-year-old African American male, was fatally wounded in the incident. Responding to calls around 5:30 p.m., police discovered the young man suffering from apparent gunshot injuries.
Despite the immediate medical attention he received, Johnson succumbed to his wounds at the scene, his life cut tragically short.
The investigation into the homicide began swiftly as detectives from the Baton Rouge Police Department started to piece together the events that led to the deadly shooting. Their efforts were aided by surveillance footage from a local business which captured the moments leading up to the fatal encounter. The video showed two individuals interacting with someone before shots were fired at Johnson, after which the assailants were seen fleeing the area. This crucial piece of evidence provided investigators with a visual depiction of the suspects.
Within weeks, the investigation yielded significant progress. On April 9, 2019, one of the suspects, 19-year-old Thaddeus Abduel Harrison, turned himself in to authorities at the 4th District Precinct. Subsequently, police also apprehended 18-year-old Kendrick Dwayne Bryant. Both men were booked in connection with Mikeith Johnson's murder. Harrison faced a charge of second-degree murder for his alleged role in the shooting that ended a teenager's life on a street in Baton Rouge.
