CHARLOTTE — Nine years after Raymond Johnson III was shot and killed while leaving work at a pawn shop, police have arrested three men and charged them with his killing. His family is grateful for the arrests but still seeks answers as to why he was killed. They hope that the update on the cold case will give hope to other families still searching for answers in their own cases.
[ READ MORE: 3 charged with murder 9 years after pawn shop shooting ]
Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz spoke with the family on Tuesday.
“He was a gentle giant,” said Tomiko Evans-Johnson, the victim’s widow.
“The guider. The mentor, just the awesome dad,” said Dondrea Johnson, the victim’s daughter. “My go-to for everything.”
“He was just kind of chill and relax. I think we had the same personality,” said Kennedy Johnson, the victim’s daughter.
Raymond Johnson III was shot and killed on Aug. 3, 2017, after getting off work at a pawn shop on Monroe Road near Fugate Avenue in east Charlotte.
This surveillance video showed him trying to drive off before crashing. Police believe the people in the van seen speeding off were responsible.
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“Your whole life changed in an instant,” said Tomiko Evans-Johnson. “Although we are so relieved that these monsters are off the street and they won’t have the opportunity, hopefully to hurt anyone else, I’m grateful for that. But I don’t know what punishment they can be given to repay us for what they’ve taken from us.”
Raymond Johnson III didn’t know his accused killers.
Tomiko Evans-Johnson believes it was an attempted robbery that ended with him dead.
The family continues to seek the truth about why they were robbed of a beloved husband and father.
They said they are incredibly thankful for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department detective assigned to the case. Tomiko Evans-Johnson said the detective always updated her throughout the years, and she’s grateful he never gave up on her husband’s case.
She hopes the cold case update gives hope to other families still searching for answers in their own cases.