In the early hours of a summer morning in Minneapolis, the life of a 15-year-old Black female named KaMaih Emauri Johnson was tragically cut short. On July 17, 2023, just before 1:30 a.m., police responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Girard Avenue South and West 25 1/2 Street, a residential area not far from Lake of the Isles. First responders found the teenager on the street with a life-threatening gunshot wound. Despite their efforts, she died at the scene.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest and ruled the manner of death a homicide. Her father remembered her as a charismatic girl with a real spark, a leader who was getting ready to start high school.
The investigation into KaMaih's death revealed a chilling sequence of events. According to a female witness who was with KaMaih that night, they had been driving around with three juvenile males when they arranged to meet up with 18-year-old Antonio L. Brooks Jr. KaMaih and her friend briefly got into the SUV with Brooks, where they were all laughing and joking. The lighthearted atmosphere took a dark turn when Brooks reportedly said, "I'm going to shoot you all." The witness told him to stop playing, but he allegedly followed up with, "I'm gonna shoot this bitch up." Disturbed by the comments, the witness and KaMaih returned to the car they had arrived in. As their car started to drive away, KaMaih was in the back seat, hanging out of an open window. A single gunshot rang out, and KaMaih fell from the vehicle onto the pavement.
For a time, the shooter remained at large. In August 2023, prosecutors charged Antonio L. Brooks Jr. of Bloomington with second-degree unintentional murder in connection with KaMaih's death, issuing a warrant for his arrest as his whereabouts were unknown. Brooks was eventually taken into custody. In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement. The following month, a judge sentenced the now 20-year-old Brooks to a prison term of about twelve and a half years for the senseless killing that ended a young girl's promising life.
