On April 10, 11-year-old D’Mari Johnson was shot in the head outside of a DeKalb County roller skating rink. Today (April 18), members of his immediate family are scheduled to speak to the media for the first time since the incident.
According to reports from the family, Johnson is currently in a medically-induced coma fighting for his life.
In an 11 Alive Atlanta newscast, it was said that the fifth grader’s family believes that he was “purposely targeted.” Johnson was shot on April 10 a little after 11 p.m. as he left the Golden Glide skating rink.
Cell phone video being shared on social media by the victim’s family shows a large fight taking place outside of the skating rink just before the incident occurred. Family members are hoping that the video can provide valuable clues in finding the person responsible for shooting Johnson.
DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha Ramos told Fox 5 Atlanta, “Every lead leads to another lead, so we’re getting close, but we’re not there yet. We do have a sense of who we are looking for, but we are still trying to connect all the dots.”
A social media post from his mom read in part, “We are praying for a speedy recovery for Mari. Please keep my son in your prayers! An arrest has not been made!! I ask that if anyone has any information on this incident please contact me or the dekalb county police office as soon as possible. We want justice for Mari!! His shooter needs to be placed in jail before this happens to someone else child. Thank you!! #Repost We want justice for Mari.”
Johnson’s grandmother told 11 Alive Atlanta that security was present at the event, though she did not feel that enough was done to prevent the situation from happening.
The child’s parents, along with other family members, will be joined by their attorneys Shean Williams and Gary Andres of The Cochran Firm for a press conference today. A $10,000 reward has been offered for any information leading to the arrest of Johnson’s shooter.