Man charged in deadly Columbia shooting claims innocence

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of being an accessory to a Columbia killing says he was at the scene of the alleged crime but was not part of the shooting.

Robert Junior Johnson spoke with ABC 17 News by phone from the Boone County Jail on Thursday.

Prosecutors charged Johnson, 49, of Columbia, on Friday with accessory to first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Johnson is accused of using a gun to hold a crowd at bay during the May 25 shooting of Rod Jamal Jones on Quail Drive.

Authorities allege Johnson trained his gun on the crowd while Bobby Dawson took Jones behind a residence and shot him. Jones died after being taken off life support two days after the shooting.

Charging documents say Jones told police he was at the shooting scene but would not give investigators any other information.

Jones on Thursday reiterated that he was at the scene but said he did not arrive with Dawson, as police claim.

“I was never with this man,” Johnson said. “I know him, yes I do. But because you know someone doesn’t mean that I came with him.”

Johnson said he arrived at the scene to find a crowd in front of a residence and some of them had guns. He said he carried his own gun for protection but did not try to stop anyone from intervening in the shooting.

Johnson said he believes police made him a suspect in part because he would not give them information about the shooting. Johnson said he fears retaliation if he provides information to police and has family living on Quail Drive.

He said he doubts police will be able to protect him or his family members if someone retaliates.

“Why would you want me to snitch to put my wife and my children in harm’s way?” Johnson said.

Johnson remains jailed without bond. He said Thursday that he does not yet have a lawyer. The next hearing in his case is set for Tuesday.