Cameron Whitney Johnson, 32, was shot and died on September 23, 2015, after gunfire in the Mooncrest housing community in Moon Township. Officers on an unrelated call heard shots about 6:40 p.m. and found Johnson mortally wounded inside a vehicle that had crashed into a tree. Investigators said he had been shot at least once, then got back into his car and tried to drive away before crashing a short distance from where the shooting occurred.

Police focused on Jesse Lee Jones, then 28, of Moon Township, describing the incident as domestic-related and tied to a dispute involving Johnson’s ex-girlfriend, who reportedly was in a relationship with Jones. Court testimony indicated Johnson went to the area where Jones was with the woman and was shot as he got out of his car. Jones was arrested in Charleston, West Virginia, on November 23, 2015, and evidence recovered at arrest included a handgun and suspected crack cocaine.

At a bench trial, the defense argued self-defense and pointed to threatening texts Johnson had allegedly sent beforehand. The judge found Johnson was unarmed and getting out of his vehicle when shot. On June 15, 2016, Jones was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, illegal possession of a firearm, and tampering with evidence; on September 16, 2016, he received a combined sentence totaling 10 to 20 years. Did anyone in Mooncrest or Coraopolis see or hear anything that night that could fill in missing details about how the confrontation began?