Willie James Johnson, Jr., 48, was found dead from gunshot wounds at his home on Beaumont Avenue in Kannapolis, North Carolina, after emergency personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive person about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Johnson, born May 19, 1975, in Cabarrus County, was a 1993 graduate of A.L. Brown High School and owned a dump truck company. He is survived by his son Andrew Johnson of Concord, his daughter Alexis Johnson of Salisbury, two grandchildren, and wider family.

The Kannapolis Police Department labeled the death a homicide and opened an investigation. On June 9, 2023, authorities charged 48-year-old Derick De-Arlo Hinson Sr. of Kannapolis with first-degree murder. Hinson was located and arrested by sheriff’s deputies in Lancaster, South Carolina, and was being extradited to North Carolina to face the charge. Police asked anyone with information to contact the Kannapolis Police Department.

Did anyone in the area have contact with Willie in the days before June 7, 2023, or see anything relevant near his residence?