Travis Pennington

In the pre-dawn hours of August 15, 2024, Travis Tremayne Pennington, a 35-year-old Black man, was preparing to drive his coworker, 22-year-old Kiara Hootman, to her shift. As they sat in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Normandy Village Apartments in Michigan City, Indiana, a barrage of gunfire erupted. Police, responding to a 911 call around 5:30 a.m., discovered both Pennington and Hootman inside the car, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.

The LaPorte County Coroner later ruled the deaths a homicide, confirming that the shots had been fired from outside the vehicle. An autopsy revealed that Pennington had been shot three times in his head and neck, while Hootman sustained four gunshot wounds to her left arm and back. Investigators found no weapons inside the car. Pennington was a resident of the apartment complex, and Hootman had been staying with him.

The investigation quickly uncovered a motive of revenge and focused on a single suspect: 26-year-old Armann Johnson. According to court documents, Johnson, Pennington, and Hootman had all been coworkers at Hearthside Food Solutions. Johnson had been in a brief, tumultuous, and physically abusive relationship with Hootman. After she ended the relationship, Hootman moved in with Pennington out of fear for her safety. Johnson, who had recently been terminated from his job, had confronted the pair at work and warned Pennington to stay away from Hootman or be “dealt with” just a week before the shooting.

Within 48 hours, police had gathered enough evidence to arrest Johnson. A license plate reading camera helped investigators locate his vehicle at his home. A search of his car and residence uncovered critical evidence, including shards of glass that matched the broken passenger-side mirror of the victims' vehicle and a holster for a semi-automatic handgun. Dirt found on Johnson’s car was also consistent with tire tracks left at the crime scene where the shooter’s vehicle had driven through the grass.

Armann Johnson was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and criminal mischief. He was ordered held in the LaPorte County Jail without bond. Johnson was subsequently convicted of the murders, and the case is now considered solved.