Antonio Brooks Jr., 18, charged with killing 15-year-old Ka'Maih Johnson near Lake of the Isles
UPDATE (Sept. 8, 2024): Antonio Brooks Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal on Sept. 6. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.
MINNEAPOLIS -- An 18-year-old man accused of shooting and killing 15-year-old Ka'Maih Johnson near the Lake of Isles in July was charged Thursday with second-degree murder.
Antonio Brooks Jr. was charged by warrant, but has since been taken into custody and made his first court appearance.
According to the charges, police spoke to a witness who was with Johnson when the shooting happened on July 17. They had been driving around with three boys when they agreed to meet up with Brooks, who was in another car.
They met at 25 1/2 Street and Girard Avenue South in Minneapolis around 1:30 a.m. The witness and Johnson briefly got into the car with Brooks and started joking around, at which point Brooks allegedly said "I'm going to shoot you all." The witness told him to stop playing, but Brooks responded with "I'm gonna shoot this bitch up," documents state.
The witness and Johnson then went back to the car they arrived in; Johnson was in the back seat, hanging out the open window. Then there was a gunshot, the witness said, and the cars both sped off.
Charges say the witness didn't know Johnson had been shot at the time. She told Brooks to pick her up, and he said he would, but had to drop off his gun first.
Eventually, the boys she had originally arrived with came and picked her up. They told the witness Johnson had been shot; the witness then contacted Brooks, who allegedly acknowledged his involvement in the shooting and apologized.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. There was a gunshot wound to her chest.
Her father told WCCO she was getting ready to go to high school. He said she was charismatic, had a real spark about her, and was a great kid.
Note: The above video first aired on July 18, 2023
