On February 11, 2023, at about 5:16 a.m., officers responded to reports of gunfire at the North River Landing Apartments, 2300 block of West Lexington Avenue in Elkhart, Indiana. First responders found 37-year-old Thomas Ray Johnson with apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital but died shortly thereafter.

Investigators say the shooting began during a domestic violence altercation; Johnson had stepped in to intervene and was critically injured while trying to protect another person. Johnson, born in Harvey, Illinois, lived in Elkhart, worked for LEER, and is remembered by family as a devoted father and fiancé.

Police located a suspect at an apartment complex in nearby Goshen. After an initial refusal to exit, the SWAT team was called and the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Ja Liahs Michael Curry, surrendered and was arrested. Curry was booked into the Elkhart County Jail and charged with murder plus counts of criminal recklessness for firing into a building and domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon; court proceedings were opened.

If anyone witnessed the disturbance that morning or has information about what happened, please come forward.