By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-29 15:28:02 | Updated at 2025-01-01 12:59:16
2 days ago
Baltimore police are under fire for failing to catch the man who shot and killed a 27-year-old woman in broad daylight in April, despite a graphic video of the slaying going viral online.
Now, the family of Shakeia Allen says cops need to raise their game and apprehend their suspect — the victim's ex-boyfriend, Amir Johnson, 24, who has eluded arrest throughout a nine-month investigation.
Critics say it is incomprehensible that Allen's killer is not already behind bars, given that footage of the homicide in the Baltimore suburbs exists, and has already been viewed millions of times.
The grainy video, apparently made by a resident of the housing complex, shows the man fighting with Allen as he chases her around the parking lot, before drawing a gun and shooting her several times.
The homicide raises tough questions about domestic violence, especially among African-American couples, and whether onlookers should pull out their cell phones when they see a crime — or actually get involved.
But for Allen's bereaved dad, Nakia Scott, the most troubling question is why Johnson remains at large nine months after his daughter's death.
'It's not alleged — he's on film killing her,' Scott told The Baltimore Banner.
'To call it frustration at the fact that they [the police] haven't caught him is an understatement.'
The family of Shakeia Allen say Baltimore police need to raise their game and catch the ex-boyfriend they blame for her murder
DailyMail.com reached out to Baltimore County Police for comment.
They have said for months that Johnson is 'wanted in reference' to the homicide.
This week, they released a statement 'requesting the public's help' in finding him.
The investigation is ongoing, and is understood to involve police in New York City, as Johnson is from Brooklyn and may have returned there.
In earlier statements, police said they responded to a call around 3pm on April 21 to Allen's apartment complex in the Baltimore suburb of Carney.
They found her with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Days after her death, the grainy video appeared online showing the moments leading up to the shooting in the parking lot, apparently filmed from the first floor of an adjacent building.
'I have a restraining order on you,' Allen can be heard saying in the footage.
'Call the police,' replies the assailant, who is believed to be Johnson, before he chases Allen around the lot.
A third person filming the altercation urges the man to leave her alone before four gunshots can be heard and Allen falls to the ground.
Nakia Scott says there were few signs early on that the relationship between Allen and Johnson would sour and become violent.
The couple looked 'good,' Nakia says. Johnson was welcomed in the family, and even called him 'Pops.'
But as he got to know Johnson better, he says he realized the boyfriend was 'kind of controlling.'
These worries were echoed by Allen's sister, Shanay Scott.
'I would have never guessed the extent of how toxic he was, because he just came off like your average guy,' Shanay told the Banner.
'There was no immediate, like, huge red flags flashing in your face.'
But as the relationship deteriorated, Johnson became more possessive and aggressive, while Allen tried to end it, they said.
In August 2023, police arrested Johnson after a dispute with Allen, who was described as his 'significant other' in court filings.
Baltimore County Police say Amir Johnson, 24, is 'wanted in reference' to the death of his ex-girlfriend
The video from the apartment complex in Carney, a suburb of Baltimore, depicts the violent slaying
Murdered Shakeia Allen, 27, leaves behind her three-year-old daughter, Storm
Allen is understood to have left Johnson she could focus on her career and her daughter
Johnson and Allen filed civil domestic violence complaints against one another.
A Baltimore County judge granted protective orders, but later dismissed the petition, citing both parties' failure to show.
Johnson was later charged with misdemeanor assault in February 2024 after another violent argument with Allen.
Johnson was in possession of a registered handgun when police responded. It was not used in the fight, but Johnson nevertheless consented for the weapon to be removed from the residence.
Johnson's assault trial was scheduled for April 29, eight days after Allen's murder, but he never showed in court, records show.
Shanay praised her sister for having the 'courage to leave' Johnson and move out of their apartment to start a new life with her three-year-old daughter, Storm, who is now an orphan.
'She chose to save herself, and to know that her story was cut short at a time where she felt like she was just beginning is really devastating,' she said.
Speaking with True Crime News, Nakia Scott revealed that Johnson even texted him hours after the killing in the parking lot.
The message read: 'It was nice knowing you,' says the bereaved dad.
'He knew how I felt about my kids,' said Nakia, while urging Johnson to turn himself in.
'This is the greatest betrayal a person could ever experience.'
Allen's relatives are not the only people urging the police to act.
Social media users across Baltimore and beyond decry the slow progress in the case and rally behind the hashtag #JusticeforShakeia.
They also debate the complex issues that the shooting raises — alarming rates of domestic violence in Baltimore and whether witnesses to fights between couples should pull out their phones or get involved.
The TikTok handle asistaslove, which commemorates victims of violence, says the Allen video shows locals watching a tragedy unfold but fail to step in before a young woman lies bleeding on the asphalt.
'It was black men watching, but not one black man tried to protect us,' says the narrator.
Public records show that Allen had a qualification in nursing
Baltimore police this week released a statement 'requesting the public's help' in finding Johnson
Critics say that police are less focussed on solving murders when the victims are black
'We rather videotape, we rather just stop and look, but we refuse to help our own. We are our own worst enemy. We have to do better.'
Another TikTok influencer, Kay Macfly, criticizes the spectating young men, while lamenting the high rates of inter-partner violence in the county, which has seen three domestic-related homicides since November 2023.
'The violence that happens out here towards women is so scary, and it's so heartbreaking,' says Macfly.
'It could have been prevented had the authorities just been called, had somebody just intervened.'
X user @Tair_RN noted how police 'can find the killer of multi-millionaire white CEO' within days of the slaying, in reference to the shooting of Brian Thompson in New York City this month.
'But the alleged murder suspect, Amir Johnson, who shot Shakeia Allen in broad daylight is still missing, almost a yr later?!?!' the user added.
Johnson and Baltimore police did not answer DailyMail.com's requests for comment.
Anyone with information on the incident can call detectives on 410-887-3943 or 410-887-4636 or post a tip online at www.metrocrimestoppers.org.
