In the late hours of a Saturday night in Jackson, Mississippi, gun violence tragically cut short the life of 26-year-old Zacchaeus Daniel Johnson. On August 30, 2025, officers from Precinct One responded to a call on the 5600 block of Dogwood Trail around 11 p.m. At the scene, they discovered a chaotic situation with multiple victims of a shooting.
Johnson was one of four people who had been shot.
Initially, another victim, 48-year-old Roosevelt Denson Jr., was found deceased at the location from at least one gunshot wound. Johnson, critically injured, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of the following Sunday morning. Two other individuals were also wounded in the same incident and were taken to area hospitals for their injuries.
The investigation into the deadly shooting progressed swiftly. A few days later, on Tuesday, September 2, homicide detectives with the Jackson Police Department made two arrests in connection with the case. Eighteen-year-old Mason Pearce and 21-year-old Jordan Crawford were taken into custody. Both men were subsequently charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Zacchaeus Daniel Johnson and Roosevelt Denson Jr., as well as two counts of aggravated assault for the injuries sustained by the other two victims. Following their arrest, a judge denied bond for both Pearce and Crawford. The investigation into the shooting was reported to be ongoing.
