In the neon-drenched city of Las Vegas, a party in a luxurious suite at the Palms Casino Resort's Fantasy Tower took a tragic turn on the night of May 15, 2014, ending the life of 25-year-old Evan Plunkett, a White male. An aspiring rapper known as "Hollywood Will," Plunkett, a former U.S. Marine, was attending a party with approximately 40 to 50 other people where a music video was being filmed.
Accounts from that night suggest a fight broke out between Plunkett, his brother TJ, and
another man. Friends of Plunkett stated that he was attempting to break up the altercation when he was shot in the chest. In the ensuing chaos, many of the partygoers, including the suspected shooter, fled the suite. Plunkett’s brother, TJ, was by his side and tried to apply pressure to the wound until paramedics arrived. Evan Plunkett was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
The investigation into Plunkett's death initially faced challenges as authorities searched for leads among the numerous attendees who had scattered. However, a few days later, 25-year-old Jim Edward Johnson turned himself in to the police and was arrested on suspicion of murder. Johnson, who was friends with Plunkett, claimed the shooting was an accident, stating that his gun discharged when he dropped it while trying to intervene in the fight.
Jim Johnson later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and in January 2015, he was sentenced to a term of 18 months to eight years in prison. During the sentencing, Johnson expressed remorse, calling the shooting a "truly an accident" and referring to Plunkett as someone he "loved like a brother." However, Plunkett’s family disputed the claim that the shooting was accidental. His brother, TJ, who also sustained injuries during the altercation, maintained that Johnson had pistol-whipped him before the gun went off. The family expressed their grief and frustration with the plea deal, feeling that justice had not been fully served for the loss of Evan Plunkett's life.
