Justin Rayshun Johnson

Justin Rayshun Johnson, a devoted father of three, is remembered by loved ones as a loving, honest, and hardworking man. Known as one of the nicest people you could ever meet, the 31-year-old worked as a laborer, specializing in car body painting. His life, full of promise and connection, was tragically cut short just two days before Christmas, leaving his family and the Birmingham, Alabama, community to grapple with a sudden and violent loss.

The afternoon of Monday, December 23, 2019, was shattered by gunfire in a West Birmingham neighborhood. At approximately 1:11 p.m., a verbal altercation escalated to deadly violence. Officers with the Birmingham Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 5900 block of Martin Luther Avenue after receiving a report of a person shot. Upon arrival, they found Justin Johnson lying unresponsive in the driveway with an apparent gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel arrived and transported him to UAB Hospital for treatment, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

As police secured the scene, they located a second victim nearby. This man had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his hand and was also taken to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators from the Birmingham Police Department quickly determined that the shooting was the result of a dispute between the victims and another individual. The investigation moved swiftly as detectives began to piece together the events that led to Justin's death.

Within a week, authorities publicly identified a suspect. On December 30, 2019, police arrested 36-year-old Cameron Rayford in connection with the homicide. After questioning, Rayford was charged with murder for the death of Justin Johnson and attempted murder for the shooting of the second victim. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail and held without bond. It was later revealed that the second victim treated for a hand injury was Rayford himself.

The arrest brought to light Rayford's extensive and violent criminal history. At the time of Justin's murder, Rayford was on probation. Years earlier, in 2012, he had been charged with capital murder for the 2001 slayings of two women, Kimberly Roy and Sandie Lynn Mitchell, who were found dead in a burned van in Roosevelt City. After being released on bond in that case, Rayford fled the state and was later apprehended in Virginia. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in the women's deaths and received a 20-year split sentence. He did not serve the full term and was eventually released from prison, a decision that put him back on the streets before his fatal encounter with Justin Johnson.

The case against Cameron Rayford for the murder of Justin Johnson proceeded through the Jefferson County court system. The Birmingham Police Department, including Sgt. Johnny Williams who spoke to the media, was credited with the swift arrest that brought a measure of resolution to the initial phase of the investigation. While the legal process moved forward, a family was left to navigate their immense grief during what should have been a festive holiday season.

As of the latest available reports, the case against Cameron Rayford was advancing through the judicial process. The community continues to remember Justin Johnson not as a victim, but as a cherished father, a skilled laborer, and a kind soul whose life was taken far too soon. Anyone with additional information about the shooting was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.