After lull, two murders in two days

Kenneth Johnson Jr., 22, was shot and killed on the 500 block of South 21st Street on Monday, said Patrol Sergeant Brian Dickerson.

Johnson was riding his bicycle just south of Cutting Boulevard, where about a dozen residents were hanging out in the mid-afternoon. At around 3:45 p.m., a white four-door sedan—possibly a Buick—drove north up 21st Street and slowed down as it approached Johnson. An officer close to the case said witnesses reported hearing between six and fifteen shots fired from the car, which then turned east on Cutting and disappeared. Johnson was struck several times and died at the scene.

Johnson survived a shooting in July of last year just two blocks from where he was killed on Monday. In that case, two others with Johnson were killed. Police are investigating whether the two incidents are related.

Johnson’s murder came just one day after another homicide in South Richmond.

On Halloween night, police received a  call from around the Crescent Park apartment complex. At approximately 7:20 p.m. officers arrived at the 5000 block of Creely Avenue, where trick-or-treaters pointed them to the body of 21-year-old Kamron Edwards.

Edwards was killed by a single gunshot wound, said an officer close to the case.

Investigators are trying to identify witnesses who may have information about the shooting.

After no reported homicides in more than six weeks, the two young victims raise Richmond’s homicide total to 18 for the year. By this date last year, the city had more than 40 reported homicides.

About 55 percent of those killed in Richmond this year were between the ages of 18 and 24. The age group accounts for only 10 percent of the city’s population.