There are certain words you never want to hear from a child’s mouth – let alone a child in your family.
“Auntie, they shot me,” Legend Johnson told an aunt after gunfire sprayed the South Memphis home where he and his mother live with extended family. And if those words feel like a punch in the gut, what he said next brought sighs of relief.
“But I am all right,” the seven-year-old assured his aunt.
Johnson’s close-call ordeal began at about 7:20 p.m. on February 9. That’s when drive-by shooters riddled the family’s Doris Ave. home, sending family members diving for cover. Only young Legend was hit.
Police arrived to find Legend in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his left hip. He was rushed to Methodist-LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, where the trauma team stabilized him and his condition continued to improve through the night.
Janice Johnson, his mother, remained at his side.
“My son was awake and talking later that night,” she said. “He was laughing and playing at the hospital.”
And if she needed a reminder of how fortunate she was, there was one nearby.
“We were across the hall from another seven-year-old boy who was also shot in his room. But he didn’t make it,” she added. “I can’t be anything but grateful.”
According to Methodist-LeBonheur’s stats,156 people were treated for gunshot injuries in 2021. Of those, 80 were between 11 and 18 years old. Another 31 were under the age of 10. The data also shows that 97 of those 156 gunshot patients were assault victims; 37 had been hurt in accidents.
Legend was sent home the next day, but is still recuperating with lots of bed rest and attention, according to his mother. And apparently, it’s not the first time the home has been attacked.
“The same thing happened back in July,” Janice Johnson said. “But that time, I was the one shot.”
According to police, Johnson was wounded by gunshot in a similar incident last July. A car drove up with “Black males,” and gunshots ensued. Quickly, there was yelling for everyone to get on the floor.
This time, the victim was Legend, who was watching TV in his room when he was hit.
On Wednesday, police said Janice Johnson was standing at her front door when a four-door, white Infiniti pulled up in front of the house. When she saw two “black males hanging out of both passenger-side windows with guns,” she yelled for everyone to hit the floor.
According to the police report, the gunman in the front window was “a known black male.”
Johnson admitted she knew who was responsible for both shootings. This time, she did something about it.
“I went down to police headquarters and circled the photo of the man who did it,” said Johnson.
Police have issued a warrant for the suspect and are actively searching for him, according to Sgt. Louis Brownlee in the public information office.
“Officers are trying to make an arrest as quickly as possible,” said Brownlee. “This is obviously a dangerous individual, and we want him off the street.”
Although she recognized the gunman, Johnson denied any personal ties.
“I wouldn’t say there was anything personal between us,” Johnson said. “I don’t just know him, know him, like that, but I do know who he is.”
Johnson declined to speculate about the motive for the two attacks. She also has no intention of moving out of the neighborhood.
“I have lived in this area all my life,” she said. “We have been at this house for three years. The children are all used to living here, and we have really made this our home here. I just didn’t consider moving as an option.”
If you have information or tips that can help police find the gunmen, call Crimestoppers at 901-528-CASH (2274) or visit http://crimestopmem.org.
