Bloomington police arrested Indianapolis resident Kafern Johnson, 33, in Indianapolis on Thursday after he allegedly fired a gun towards multiple people on June 23, including in the direction of a vehicle occupied by four children, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Johnson faces five total felony charges. One was attempted murder — a Level 1 felony. He faces two counts of battery by means of a deadly weapon, a count of criminal recklessness for shooting into an occupied vehicle, and one count of unlawfully carrying a handgun due to a prior felony conviction — all Level 5 felonies.
Johnson fired his weapon outside an area with multiple apartment buildings located near Summit Street, according to the affidavit.
The Bloomington Police Department received testimonies that Johnson drove to Bloomington over a dispute with another man. The affidavit alleges Johnson’s reason was because the man, the man’s children and their mother lived with a woman in Bloomington with whom Johnson was in a relationship. A third woman — a friend of the other victims — was present at the scene after she drove down from Indianapolis to pick the victims up to leave.
According to MyCase, a warrant for Johnson’s arrest was issued on June 26, and a search warrant was issued on Wednesday. He was arrested Thursday and had his first hearing at 1 p.m.
When Johnson fired his gun, he was allegedly aiming at the man and three women. One of the women owned a car that was struck by bullets multiple times. The four children were inside the car at the time of the shooting, but no injuries were reported in the affidavit, although multiple items inside the car were damaged.
The individuals told BPD that immediately prior to the shooting, they had been followed in their car by Johnson and said that he tried to drive them off the road and pointed a gun at the man at a Marathon Gas Station at West 17th St. and Kinser Pike before the shooting.
The case is ongoing.
