Isaiah Hixon was a 32-year-old Black business owner and concrete worker from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, who ran the Lavish Ink tattoo shop and was described by his girlfriend as a devoted family man and good with children. In the early morning of October 6, 2024, while talking with people on the 900 block of Ash Street in the Hornerstown section, a vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire in a brief ambush. Hixon was struck by multiple gunshots, rushed to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, and pronounced dead from massive blood loss. The Cambria County Coroner ruled the death a homicide. Two other people were wounded and expected to survive.

Authorities said the shooting was a targeted act but that Hixon was an innocent bystander who was not the intended victim. Johnstown police appealed to the public for tips and surveillance footage. Fingerprint evidence recovered inside a Jeep Compass and community tips led to the arrest of 23-year-old Jamil Quhir Branche on charges that included criminal homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and weapons offenses. Following plea negotiations, Branche later pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault and faced a agreed sentence range of 14 to 40 years; seven other charges were to be dropped after sentencing.

Does anyone in Johnstown have tips, surveillance footage, or information about the shooting or the vehicle involved?