Mitchell Drew Johnson was 40 when he was found dead in his River Lane home in Columbus, Mississippi on June 5, 2017. A New Hope High School graduate and a standout baseball player who earned All-State, All-District and All-Region honors, Johnson was later drafted by the Cleveland Indians after attending Meridian Community College. Family remembered him as well-known and loved; they also noted the lasting impact of his mother’s death when he was twelve.

Authorities say the death occurred during a domestic altercation. Mitchell’s father, 69-year-old Larry Johnson, called 911 roughly 12 hours after the shooting and told dispatchers he had shot his son. Deputies found Mitchell deceased from a gunshot wound and arrested Larry, who was charged with murder, arraigned in Lowndes County Justice Court, and released on a posted $50,000 bond pending further proceedings. An autopsy was ordered at the State Crime Lab in Jackson to determine the formal cause of death.

Did anyone in Columbus know the Johnson family or have information about what happened at the River Lane home that morning?