In the predawn hours of Father's Day, June 17, 2018, the body of 19-year-old Desmond Zaire Johnson was discovered lying on the ground in the 300 block of Carson Alley in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The discovery was made after police responded to a report of a body at 12:22 a.m., approximately thirty minutes after initial reports of gunshots in the same area. First responders found Johnson was already deceased at the scene.
An autopsy later confirmed that the young male had died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
A joint investigation by the Norristown Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau quickly pieced together the events of that fatal night. Investigators utilized surveillance video from the area and accessed the victim's cell phone records. The evidence revealed that Johnson had arranged to meet someone under the premise of selling them marijuana. However, the meeting was a setup. Instead of a transaction, Johnson was robbed and then shot.
The investigation led to the arrest of 18-year-old Andre Marcus Johnson of Philadelphia just days later. Authorities clarified that the suspect and the victim were not related. Andre Johnson was charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and a firearms violation. He was arraigned and held without bail. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for early July 2018.
