On what should have been a day of celebration, the life of 21-year-old Charlie Johnson, a White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in the early morning hours of May 22, 2021, in downtown Minneapolis. A senior at the University of St. Thomas, Johnson was just hours away from his graduation, where he was to receive his degree in mechanical engineering.
Instead of celebrating his academic achievements, his family would later accept his diploma on his behalf in a somber ceremony that marked a profound and senseless loss.
Johnson was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a violent exchange between two men outside the Monarch nightclub. Just before 2 a.m., a dispute escalated into gunfire, and as people fled the chaotic scene, a stray bullet struck Johnson in the back. He had been walking with a friend near the nightclub when the shooting erupted. Another man, Christopher Jones, was also killed in the shootout, and several others were wounded. The Minneapolis Police Department swiftly launched an investigation into the incident that had claimed two lives and injured eight others.
The investigation led to the arrest of Jawan C. Carroll. In October 2022, Carroll was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Johnson and Jones, in addition to seven counts of attempted second-degree murder. The court rejected his claim of self-defense. In December 2022, Carroll was sentenced to 69 years in prison for his role in the shooting. During the sentencing, Charlie's father, Greg Johnson, tearfully remembered his son's compassionate and empathetic nature, highlighting his son's desire to contribute positively to the world. In the wake of his death, Johnson's family established The Charlie Fund, a study abroad fund at the University of St. Thomas, to provide students with the opportunity to have the kind of enriching experiences that their son had valued.
