On a spring evening in Dinwiddie, Virginia, a neighborhood cookout on May 1, 2021, turned into a scene of violence that claimed the life of 23-year-old Waekuon Quendrick Johnson. An argument broke out at the gathering, escalating to a double shooting that left Johnson fatally wounded and another person injured.
Deputies arriving at the scene on Beth Lane found Waekuon Johnson in a ditch, suffering from a gunshot wound.
Despite the efforts of first responders, he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy would later confirm that Johnson died from a single gunshot that entered his back and exited through his abdomen.
The investigation into the deadly shooting led to the arrest of Anthony Lamont Brown. Eyewitness testimony during Brown's jury trial revealed that after an exchange of words, Johnson was walking away when he was shot in the back and fell to the ground as Brown fled the scene. Investigators recovered several cartridge casings from the roadway.
Anthony Lamont Brown was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Waekuon Johnson. In addition to the murder charge, he was also found guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. During the investigation, Brown denied being the shooter and claimed he had left the party before it got dark.
