On February 11, 2023, a violent disturbance unfolded in the early morning hours at the North River Landing Apartments in Elkhart, Indiana. Officers from the Elkhart Police Department were dispatched to the 2300 block of West Lexington Avenue around 5:16 a.m. after receiving reports of gunfire. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders discovered a 37-year-old male victim, Thomas Ray Johnson, who had sustained apparent gunshot wounds.
The investigation revealed that the incident began as a domestic violence altercation, and Johnson had stepped in to intervene when he was critically injured.
Johnson was transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Born in Harvey, Illinois, he was a resident of Elkhart who worked for LEER and was known to his loved ones as a dedicated father and fiancé. He left behind a grieving family, including his sons and a brother, who later described his actions that morning as heroic, noting that he lost his life trying to protect another person during a volatile situation.
Following the shooting, investigators quickly identified a potential suspect who had fled the scene. Authorities traced the individual to an apartment complex in the neighboring city of Goshen. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Ja Liahs Michael Curry, initially refused to exit the residence, prompting law enforcement to activate the SWAT team. After a standoff, Curry surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident.
Curry was subsequently booked into the Elkhart County Jail. Prosecutors charged him with murder, along with additional counts of criminal recklessness for firing into a building and domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon. Legal proceedings commenced later that year, with status conferences scheduled as the case moved through the court system, marking the beginning of the legal effort to address the tragic loss of Johnson's life.
