A Texas teenager on his way to pick up his girlfriend from work was found murdered in his car, his body riddled with bullets, after an apparent road rage incident.
And now his grieving family is demanding answers, as 19-year-old Cody Johnson was shot and killed Friday night near I-10 in Harris County, Texas.
Relatives said he had left his mother’s home in Missouri City, about 20 miles south of Houston, an hour earlier, around 7 p.m.
Intending to pick 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 8:04 p.m.
However, it is believed that the car may have been rolling for some time before coming to a stop, where it was later discovered.
Within minutes, he was found along the I-10 frontage road, his car and body riddled with bullets, leading the local sheriff to surmise that the incident was due to road rage. However, his office is still trying to piece together what happened and has not yet identified a suspect.
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The teenager was set to start a new job as a car salesman in the coming weeks, both men said in emotional interviews.
“On Friday…at approximately 8:05 p.m., deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to an ongoing call in the 23600 block of the westbound Katy Highway service road. “the department said Sunday.
‘Upon arrival, responding officers discovered an adult male, outside his parked vehicle, a black Camaro with gold rims, who was unresponsive due to apparent gunshot wounds.
“The man was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” investigators added.
‘HCSO’s Homicide and Crime Scene Units responded to the scene to conduct 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 home in Missouri City earlier, around 7 p.m.
While driving to pick up his girlfriend at her workplace in Katy, Johnson never made it; An app showed how his Camaro stopped on the Katy Highway around 8:04 p.m. Shortly after, police are seen on the service road.
“No motive has been determined for the victim’s shooting death.”
Gonzalez proceeded to frame the murder as “a possible road rage incident,” knowing nothing about a possible suspect despite the police’s quick response time and the inherent business of the road.
“People saw it, it’s I-10,” father Mike Johnson told ABC 13 on Sunday. ‘It’s busy and here we are with nothing.
“I was 200 meters from the Memorial Hermann helicopter pad in Katy,” he added, revealing that he had only been a few kilometers from his girlfriend’s work.
“And no one stopped until the police found him.”
However, it is believed that the car may have been rolling for some time before coming to a complete stop. Here you see the police officers gathered around the 2013 muscle car.
The victim was found along the I-10 frontage road riddled with bullets, prompting the local sheriff to say the incident was likely due to road rage.
He added that he and cops believed his son’s car had been rolling for “some time” before the call came in, a minute before the tracking software showed it stopping.
The devastated father also said his teenage 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 the coming weeks, he said, speaking to several media outlets in an interview alongside his wife Amy Juneau.
He loved cars since he was little, so he chased his dreams,” Mike told KHOU 11 while the suspect or suspects remained at large. “Everything seemed to fall into place and finally go on the right path.”
“Even if he or someone interrupted him, there’s no reason for him to be dead because of that,” he continued.
“The value in people’s lives is more than a car or a frustration.”
Both parents added that the black 2013 Chevy Camaro had been their son’s most prized possession, as chilling images from the crime scene showed him sitting in his spot with his flashing lights on.
However, her office is still trying to piece together what happened and has yet to name a suspect, prompting parents Mike Johnson and Amy Juneau to ask the public for answers.
“If you were driving down I-10 and he drove by, you’d know,” Mike said, seeking answers from other residents who might have heard about what happened.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” Juneau added in an exchange with Fox 26 Houston. “His life was going in the right direction,” Mike stated. “Everything was going very well, he was happy; he even said he was happier than ever.”
While cops said they suspect the shooting was caused by road rage, this has not yet been officially confirmed.
A description of the suspect (or suspects) has not yet been provided and the homicide investigation is already underway.
DailyMail.com contacted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for more information, as the Johnsons now set about burying their son.
‘No one values life,’ his father said in another emotional interview with ABC 13.
“We just want answers,” Juneau added. “We want him back more than anything, but if we could just have some kind of closure about what happened.”
Meanwhile, the police investigation into the incident remains ongoing. They ask that the public step forward.
Houston, just a few miles from the crime scene, received the dubious distinction of being the city with the most highway shootings over the past decade, with a total of 215 incidents since 2014.
Tied for second place were cities like San Antonio and Memphis, which only had 107 incidents each.
The trend has continued this year, with a 21-year-old man 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 district attorney for statements and an investigation to determine whether charges will be filed, police officers in that case said.