On the afternoon of April 2, 2024, 20-year-old Cornelius Johnson was found with a life-threatening gunshot wound in the 1200 block of Eastdale Circle in Montgomery, Alabama. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital around 4:40 p.m.; he died of his injuries on April 4, 2024. Authorities describe him as having been sitting in a car when a bullet struck his head.

Cornelius was remembered by family as kind, funny, and loving. His mother, Kimberly Freeman, said he enjoyed cereal and video games, attended Carver and Jefferson Davis high schools, and worked as a warehouse stocker. She believes he was an innocent bystander giving a friend a ride when the shooting occurred.

Freeman made a public plea for justice and indicated police were reviewing security-camera footage and may have had a person of interest, but as of May 2024 no official suspects or arrests had been announced and the investigation remained open. If anyone has information about what happened that day, please come forward.