SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man who hid from police for weeks following a fatal February gunfight made a first court appearance on Friday.
Jerry Johnson III, 20 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder.
Just before 6p.m. Feb. 11, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1200 block of S. Bleckley in Wichita, according to Police Department spokesperson Brad Wright.
Officers arrived at the scene and found 23-year-old Manuel Roach with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Preliminary investigation indicates that a disturbance occurred involving Roach and three unidentified men dressed in all black. Following the incident, the suspects departed the scene in a white SUV before law enforcement arrival. The exact circumstances that led up to the shooting are still under investigation, according to Wright. Police do believe this was a targeted incident between individuals known to each other.
Later on Feb. 11, an 18-year-old identified as Sergio Clement arrived at a local hospital with a single gunshot wound to his lower extremity. Through the investigation, it was discovered that Clement and 21-year-old Alan Griffin, Jr. were involved in the fatal shooting of Roach. As a result, both were arrested and booked into Sedgwick County Jail.
On May 7, deputies booked Johnson into jail after the Wichita Police Department asked the public for information on his whereabouts. On February 14, Johnson was charged by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office in reference to his involvement in the homicide.
Johnson is now being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on a $1 million bond. He is due back in court May 30, according to the district attorney's office.