Despite a $30,000 Crime Stoppers reward, a billboard campaign and repeated pleas from Johnson’s heartbroken parents, his killer still hasn’t been identified.
MISSOURI CITY, Texas — Nearly a year after 19-year-old Cody Johnson was killed in an apparent road rage shooting, his family will mark his 20th birthday with a public tribute and a renewed plea for justice.
“He would have turned 20 years old today. The only thing wrong is that he’s not here and he should be,” Mike Johnson, Cody’s father, told KHOU 11.
His son’s was cut short last September when he was shot to death between Beltway 8 and Highway 99 on the Katy Freeway. His car ended up on the I-10 feeder road in front of Memorial Hermann Hospital, less than a quarter mile from the emergency room.
Despite a $30,000 Crime Stoppers reward, a billboard campaign and repeated pleas from Johnson’s heartbroken parents, his killer still hasn’t been identified.
“How this person is still free today is just baffling to me, why people just let this slip under the rug,” Johnson said. “They could be driving next to me, I wouldn’t even know.”
On Friday, family and friends will unveil a memorial bench at Cody’s favorite gym. His father said the tribute is as much about raising awareness to stop road rage violence as it is about finding the person responsible.
“If we find the killer, absolutely, I want to find him,” he said. “But the priority is to bring awareness, ending the road rage, ending the loss of the value in life.”
The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday inside Alphaland Gym, located at 1502 Industrial Drive in Missouri City.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Houston Police Department or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).