On a late morning in May 2014, gunshots shattered the midday calm on a street in West Philadelphia. When the chaos subsided, Aaron Johnson, a male, was found lying in the street, having been shot multiple times. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania but was pronounced dead upon arrival. An autopsy later revealed that he had suffered two gunshot wounds, one to his back and another to his hip.
The shot to his back, which struck his left lung and aorta, was determined to be the fatal wound, and his death was ruled a homicide.
According to witnesses, a group of men were outside when the shooting began. After the shots were fired, those nearby ran for cover. When they returned, they discovered Johnson on the ground. The investigation into the shooting led police to identify two suspects, one of whom was Braheem Owens. Law enforcement officials stated that after Owens shot Johnson, he entered a car driven by an accomplice, and the two sped away from the scene. A police officer who was in a marked patrol car nearby heard the gunshots and pursued the vehicle.
The chase ended several blocks away when Owens and his accomplice abandoned the car and fled on foot. Following a brief foot pursuit, the police apprehended the accomplice, who was found in possession of a firearm. Ballistic testing later matched the six fired cartridge casings recovered from the scene of the shooting to the firearm found on the accomplice. The driver was subsequently arrested and faced charges related to the incident. Court documents indicate that Braheem Owens was identified as the individual who shot and killed Aaron Johnson.
