Teen Sold A BB Gun And Duped For $400. He Sought Revenge, But Killed A 12-Year-Old Boy Instead.
A Kansas teen shot and killed a 12-year-old boy after being duped for $400. Now, he will spend decades behind bars.
Recently, a Leavenworth County judge sentenced Jayden LaRon Johnson, 18, to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Brian Henderson Jr. Johnson was found guilty and convicted of first-degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle causing great bodily harm and discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
On April 14, 2021, officers responded to Kare Pharmacy at 2500 South 4th Street in Leavenworth County, Kansas, after reports of multiple gunshots in the parking lot. When police arrived, witnesses told investigators several shots were fired at a black Volkswagen Jetta by suspects who fled the scene in a white Dodge Charger.
According to prosecutors, Johnson rode as a passenger in a vehicle driven by his friend Darvon Thomas, 26, and a 15-year-old third party in the backseat to the pharmacy. The trio agreed with a seller of a handgun via social media to meet at the establishment's parking lot, reported WIBW.
- Real bullets flew during a gun sale when the buyers learned the weapon was a BB pistol. It ended with a 12-year-old dead.
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When they arrived, the third-party exited the vehicle and approached the seller with $400 for the handgun. Soon after the exchange, while the third party walked back toward Johnson and Thomas, he realized it was a BB gun. As a result, he raised the alarm to inform the duo they had been duped. Immediately after the sellers pulled out of the parking lot, the defendant fired several shots from a .45-caliber Glock at the vehicle and its occupants.
As a result, several bullets struck the 12-year-old Henderson who was in the passenger seat. He was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a Kansas City, Kansas, hospital, as FrontPageDetectives previously reported.
A red sedan driving along the 4th street was also hit. A 30-year-old driver of the vehicle with her six-month-old baby were unharmed, reported KMBC News.
Later, authorities tracked Johnson and his friends to a home along the 200 Block of South 12th Street in Leavenworth. The third party is unidentified because of being a minor under Kansas law.
Johnson was sentenced to additional 19 years and a half for the other charges. However, he was ordered to serve the sentences concurrently. The defendant will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years in prison.
The victim’s sister, Brooke Johnson, is awaiting trial for a first-degree murder charge and two counts of aggravated endangering a child. Her trial is scheduled for Oct. 31.
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