On a Saturday night in Aberdeen, Mississippi, the life of 35-year-old Sergio James was cut short by gunfire at the intersection of Chaffie and Gillespie Streets on November 28, 2020. That evening, a barrage of bullets shattered the neighborhood's quiet, with one resident later discovering at least five bullet holes in his nearby home. In the midst of the chaos, James was struck and died there on the street.
The Aberdeen Police Department quickly identified a person of interest in the fatal shooting: 20-year-old Amari Johnson. An alert was issued to the public, cautioning that Johnson was considered armed and dangerous. The red Mercedes coupe he was seen driving was later recovered by law enforcement. The search for Johnson extended beyond Mississippi, and in early December 2020, he was apprehended by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Authorities announced he would face a murder charge upon his extradition back to Mississippi.
Following his return to the state, Johnson was apparently released on bond. His name resurfaced in the news in May 2021 when he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with a separate fatal shooting that occurred in Tupelo, Mississippi. At the time of this second arrest, it was reported that he had been out on bond for the November 2020 homicide of Sergio James. However, the final disposition of the murder charge against Amari Johnson in the death of Sergio James has not been publicly reported.
