Shakeia Allen was a 27-year-old Black woman and mother who, according to her family, had just found the courage to start a new life. She had recently saved up enough money to move into her own apartment, hoping for a fresh beginning for herself and her young daughter. “My sister had the courage to leave,” her sister Shanay Scott said. “She chose to save herself, and to kind of know that her story was cut short at a time where she felt like she was just beginning is really
devastating.”
That new beginning ended tragically on the afternoon of Sunday, April 21, 2024. In the parking lot of her apartment complex on Whitelaw Place in Nottingham, Maryland, Allen was chased by a man. The horrifying attack was captured on a neighbor’s cell phone video, which showed Allen running for her life. As neighbors yelled at the man to leave her alone, Allen could be heard screaming, “Get away from me!” and telling him she had a restraining order. The man then shot her multiple times at close range. Shakeia Allen died at the scene.
Investigators quickly identified the suspect as her 24-year-old ex-boyfriend, Amir Johnson. Court records revealed a history of domestic turmoil between the couple. In August 2023, both Allen and Johnson had filed for protective orders against each other, but the case was dismissed when neither appeared for a final hearing. Just two months before the shooting, in February 2024, Johnson was arrested and charged with assaulting Allen as she tried to move out of their shared home. At the time of that arrest, he surrendered a handgun to police.
Immediately following the shooting, Johnson fled, sparking a manhunt that would last for more than two years. The Baltimore County Police Department obtained a warrant for his arrest, and the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his capture. The viral video of the murder drew widespread attention and calls for justice online.
The search for Amir Johnson ended on August 13, 2026, when he was arrested in Auburn, Maine, on unrelated domestic violence charges. After police in Maine discovered he was wanted for homicide in Maryland, he was extradited to face charges for Allen’s death. In August 2026, a Baltimore County grand jury indicted Johnson on one count of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center while he awaits trial.
