On a December night in 2018, a dispute that began inside a Bogota, New Jersey bar named Buddy's Place escalated into a fatal street confrontation. The altercation spilled outside, where 28-year-old Dakota Johnson was shot in the chest. First responders found him on the front lawn of a nearby home on Leonia Avenue and rushed him to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on December 12, 2018.
An investigation into the shooting led to the arrests of two men from Englewood. Talek T. Lawson, who was 23 at the time, was identified as the gunman and charged with murder and weapons offenses. Another man, 20-year-old Justin Dula, was also taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault in connection with the brawl that preceded the shooting. Authorities stated that during a fight involving several people, Lawson fired a handgun, striking and killing Johnson.
Talek T.
Lawson faced a trial that began in March 2020 but was declared a mistrial due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A subsequent six-week trial concluded in November 2022, with a jury convicting Lawson on all counts, including murder and hindering apprehension. In April 2023, Lawson was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison for the murder of Dakota Johnson. He will be required to serve the full 30 years before being eligible for parole. Three other individuals, Zachary Anderson, Justin Dula, and Corey McKay, were also identified as co-defendants in the case.
