By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-30 20:07:14 | Updated at 2024-10-01 11:19:50
15 hours ago
A Texas teen on the way to pick up his girlfriend from work was found murdered in his car - his body riddled with bullets - following an apparent road rage incident.
And now his grieving family is demanding answers, with Cody Johnson, 19, shot and killed Friday night, near I-10 in Harris County, Texas.
Relatives said he had left his mother's house in Missouri City, about 20 miles south of Houston, an hour earlier, around 7pm.
Intent on picking up his girlfriend from her job in Katy, Johnson never made it, his parents said - pointing to data from an app that showed his Camaro slowing to a stop on the Katy Freeway around 8:04pm.
It's believed the car may have been rolling for some time, however, before coming to a stop where it was later discovered.
Within minutes, he was found along the I-10 feeder road, his car and body riddled with bullets, leading the local sheriff to surmise the incident stemmed from road rage. His office is still trying to piece together what happened, however, and has yet to name a suspect.
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The teen was set to start a new job as a car salesman in coming weeks, both said in emotional interviews
'On Friday... at approximately 8:05pm, deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) responded to an in-progress call in the 23600 block of the west bound Katy Freeway service road,' the department said Sunday.
'Upon arrival, responding deputies discovered an adult male, outside his parked vehicle a black Camaro with gold rims, unresponsive from apparent gunshot wounds.
'The male was air-lifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased upon arrival,' investigators added.
'The HCSO Homicide and Crime Scene Units responded to the scene to conduct the follow-up investigation.
Cody Johnson, 19, was shot and killed Friday night, near I-10 in Harris County, Texas. Relatives said he had left his mother's house in Missouri City earlier, around 7pm
Driving to pickup his girlfriend from her place of work in Katy, Johnson never made it - with an app showing how his Camaro instead stopped on the Katy Freeway around 8:04pm. Cops are seen at the service road shortly thereafter
'No motive has been determined for the shooting death of the victim.'
Gonzalez proceeded to frame the murder as 'a possible road rage incident', with no word on a possible suspect despite cops' quick response time and the road's inherent business.
'People saw it, it's I-10,' mourning father Mike Johnson told ABC 13 Sunday. 'It's busy, and here we are with nothing.
'He was 200 yards away from the Memorial Hermann Helicopter pad in Katy,' he added, revealing how he had only been a few miles from his girlfriend's job.
'And nobody stopped until police found him.'
It's believed the car may have been rolling for some time, though, before coming to a complete stop. Cops are seen convened around the 2013 muscle car here
The victim was found along the I-10 feeder road riddled with bullets, leading the local sheriff to say the incident likely stemmed from road rage
He added how he and cops believed that his son's car had been rolling for 'some time' before the call came in - one minute before tracking software showed it coming to a stop.
The devastated father also said his teen son had recently recovered from a serious motorcycle accident that left him injured in June.
He was set to start a new job as a car salesman in coming weeks, he said - speaking to multiple outlets in an interview alongside wife Amy Juneau.
He loved cars since he was just a toddler so he was following his dreams,' Mike told KHOU 11 as the suspect or suspects remained at large. 'Everything seemed to be clicking and finally going the right way.'
'Even if he cut off, or someone cut him off, there's no reason he should be dead because of it,' he continued.
'Value in people's lives is more than a car or a frustration.'
Both parents added how the black 2013 Chevy Camaro had been their son's prized possession, as chilling footage from the crime scene showed it sitting in place with its blinkers on.
His office is still trying to piece together what happened, however, and has yet to name a suspect, leading parents Mike Johnson and Amy Juneau to ask the public for answers
'If you were driving on I-10 and he passed you would know it,' Mike said, seeking answers from other residents who may have caught wind of what occurred.
'It's a parent's worst nightmare,' added Juneau in an exchange with Fox 26 Houston. 'His life was in the right direction,' declared Mike. 'Everything was going great, he was happy - he even said he was the happiest he'd been.'
While cops said they suspect the shooting was caused by road rage, this has yet to be officially confirmed.
A description for the suspect - or suspects - has yet to be provided, with the homicide investigation now underway.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Harris County Sheriff's Office for more information, as the Johnson now set out on burying their son.
'Nobody values life,' said his father in another emotional interview with ABC 13.
'We just want answers,' added Juneau. 'We want him back more than anything, but if we could just have some type of closure about what happened.'
Cops' investigation in the incident, meanwhile, remains ongoing. They are asking for member of the public to step forward.
Houston - only a few miles away from the crime scene - was awarded the dubious distinction of being the city with the most road-rage shootings over the past decade, with a total of 215 incidents since 2014.
Tied for second were cities like San Antonio and Memphis, which only had 107 incidents apiece.
The trend has continued into this year, with a 21-year-old killed last month after exchanging gunfire with another motorist on I-10.
The other driver fled before returning to the scene, and is said to be cooperating with investigators.
The case was assigned and turned over to the DA for statements and an investigation to determine whether any charges will be filed, cops in that case said.
