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Family Of Man Killed Allegedly By Same Suspects Who Shot Officer Keona Holley Speaks Out

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The family of Justin Johnson, the man allegedly murdered by the same men who shot Baltimore Police Officer Keona Holley, is speaking out to let people know he was a good and hard-working man who should not have died this way.

Johnson, who was 38, was a son.

"He was just a young man trying to make it in this wicked, wicked world," said Justina Lawrence, his mother.

He was a brother.

"He was one of the goofiest people you would ever meet," said Dionna Agbelese, his sister. "He was always trying to put smiles on people's faces."

He was also a father to five children.

"A young black man with a family that won't see his children grow up," Lawrence said.

Johnson was shot to death early Thursday morning.

Police say Travon Shaw, 32, and Elliot Knox, 31, murdered him. These are the same men accused of shooting Holley. Police said Shaw and Knox shot Holley first, then drove to Lucia Avenue and shot Johnson about two hours later.

"I'm angry with them because they're somebody's child too and I'm thinking, 'Didn't they teach you right from wrong?'" Lawrence said.

Johnson's sister and mother said he knew the suspects.

"Travon was actually a friend of Justin's and supposedly a close friend," Agbelese said.

As they try to process what happened to Johnson, they want to make sure others know who he was.

"Justin wasn't just the other victim," Agbelese said. "He wasn't just a clue to Officer Keona's case. He was a person who was loved and loved others."

Johnson's funeral will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at March's Funeral Home, 4300 Wabash Ave.

His family has started a fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses.

Holley is still on life support in critical condition at Shock Trauma.

 

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