In the early morning hours of July 27, 2024, Nikki Marie Loffredo, a 42-year-old Caucasian woman, was walking in Des Moines, Iowa, when she was tragically shot. The incident occurred around 3:37 a.m. at the intersection of Cambridge Street and Ovid Avenue. Responding officers found Loffredo with multiple gunshot wounds to her legs. Emergency lifesaving measures, including the application of tourniquets, were administered at the scene before she was transported to Iowa Methodist Medical Center.
Despite the medical intervention, Nikki Loffredo succumbed to her injuries on July 29, 2024.
The investigation into the shooting led Des Moines police to identify a suspect, 43-year-old James Bernard Johnson of Des Moines. Evidence, including video footage, showed Johnson driving his GMC Yukon, stopping near Loffredo, and firing a handgun at least three times before speeding away. Authorities arrested Johnson on August 2, 2024. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
During legal proceedings, it was revealed that Johnson and Loffredo had no prior connection. Johnson testified that he had been driving around after an argument with his girlfriend and had consumed cocaine and marijuana. He stated that he saw Loffredo walking and offered for her to "come get high" with him. According to his testimony, when she rebuffed him, he felt "disrespected," which prompted him to shoot at her. Johnson claimed he only intended to frighten her by firing at the ground. However, text messages between Johnson and his girlfriend in which he admitted to having "popped" someone were presented as evidence. In April 2025, a jury convicted James Bernard Johnson of first-degree murder in the death of Nikki Loffredo.
