Earlier this month, former National Football League running back Chris Johnson was accused of paying a hitman to kill two men in July 2016.
The accusations against Johnson, who had a 10-year playing career predominately spent with the Tennessee Titans, came after he and his friend were shot in a vehicle in March 2015. Johnson is alleged to have hired the hitman to kill the two individuals who initially shot at Johnson and his friend as an act of revenge. As of the time of writing, Johnson has not been formally charged with any crimes.
Noteworthy Florida gang member Dominic Bolden shot and killed the two men believed to be shooters in the 2015 incident, according to new court documents obtained by TMZ. Law enforcement officials say an informant told them Johnson paid Bolden for the murders and helped him become the leader of a famed drug organization in Florida. However, as these court documents have not been made public, it is unclear what the specificities of the allegation towards Johnson were and what investigation law enforcement officials underwent to come to the conclusion Johnson is guilty.
From the original incident in Orlando, Johnson suffered a bullet wound. His friend, Dreekius Johnson, did not survive the shooting.
After the initial 2015 incident, Johnson posted an image of his bullet wound on Instagram, saying, “Me getting shot made me think different.” He included a Biblical quote that seemed to show he wanted to come out of this incident stronger. He did not allude to plans for revenge.
According to the new documents, Johnson is said to have supplied Bolden with the funds and narcotics necessary for Bolden to follow through with the murder. Johnson, who is 35th on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list with 9,651 total career yards, has not been charged with any crime related to providing illegal drugs or the alleged murder for hire. His representatives told TMZ there is no validity to these accusations.
Unless the newly-obtained court documents are made public or any further investigations are conducted, it will likely remain unknown if the deaths of the two original shooters are actually the result of Johnson hiring Bolden. The timing of the two separate incidents, combined with a lack of concrete evidence of any wrongdoing by Johnson, makes it unlikely Johnson will face legal charges unless new evidence is made known.