Michael C. Johnson, a 48-year-old Black man and father of fourteen children, was a man who came to the aid of his family. His death left his loved ones devastated. "All of this really hasn't quite sunk in with me yet," his father, John Johnson, said in the days following the killing. "Just the idea he is gone is so disappointing."
In the early morning hours of June 22, 2019, Michael Johnson was at the Stateside Lounge, located at 931 Las Vegas Blvd. North.
According to his family, an argument began inside the bar when Johnson stepped in to protect his adult daughter from another man's aggressive and unwanted advances.
The confrontation, which started as a fistfight, soon spilled out into the parking lot. Around 3:30 a.m., Johnson and the other man, later identified as 43-year-old Jerry Fitzgerald Jr., traded gunshots. Johnson was struck multiple times during the exchange.
When Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived, they found Johnson bleeding in the parking lot. He was rushed to University Medical Center, where he died from multiple gunshot wounds about an hour later. The Clark County coroner's office officially ruled his death a homicide.
The investigation quickly focused on Fitzgerald. Homicide detectives received several public tips identifying a man known as "Shady" as the shooter. One tip included a link to a Facebook profile under the name "Jerry Shady Makk Fitzgerald," which helped police confirm his identity. Three days after the shooting, authorities arrested Fitzgerald at an apartment complex.
Jerry Fitzgerald Jr. was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and initially charged with murder. He later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with Michael Johnson's death.
