In the early morning hours of July 7, 2015, a dispute in a North Little Rock, Arkansas, church parking lot ended in the death of 32-year-old Chad Taylor Johnson, a Caucasian male. The incident, which occurred around 6:25 a.m. at Graves Memorial Baptist Church, stemmed from a disagreement over property.
During the altercation, John Eric Schmidt, then 53, shot Johnson.
Following the shooting, Schmidt, who had training as an emergency medical technician, attempted to provide first aid to Johnson. Despite these efforts, Johnson succumbed to his injuries while on the way to the hospital. Schmidt himself sustained injuries during the confrontation that required medical attention.
Authorities initially arrested Schmidt and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with Johnson's death. However, the legal proceedings took a significant turn when the murder charge against Schmidt was dropped in January of the following year.
The decision to drop the charges was based on a determination that Schmidt had acted in self-defense. According to Schmidt's lawyer, Johnson had choked Schmidt, which led to the fatal shooting. The Pulaski County sheriff's deputies confirmed that the incident was the result of a property dispute. The event was not related to the church itself, although it took place on its grounds.
