Victim and shooting suspect's daughter involved in custody dispute
ALOHA, Ore. – A father appeared in court on Friday afternoon accused of shooting and killing his daughter’s former boyfriend in front of a crowded grocery store.
Jeffrey Brian Johnson, 52, pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance since the shooting happened about 24 hour before.
Earlier in the day, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesman identified the victim as 22-year-old Aloha resident Ryan Lee Johnson.
Both men have the same last name but are not related.
Ryan Johnson was gunned down outside the Bales Thriftway store on Thursday afternoon. Police caught up with and arrested Jeffrey Johnson in Sherwood a short time later.
After Jeffrey Johnson’s court appearance, a man claiming to be his brother spoke briefly to reporters while walking out of the courthouse.
“He’s a great guy,” the man said. “When the facts come out they’ll speak for themselves.” The man did not give his name to reporters before leaving.
We don’t know the motive for the shooting, but court documents show a tumultuous custody battle between Jeffrey Johnson’s daughter and Ryan Johnson over their three-year-old son.
Recently on his Facebook page, Ryan Johnson wrote that Jeffrey Johnson offered him $50,000 to give up his parental rights.
Court records show Ryan Johnson was never married to Jeffrey’s daughter Megan. The documents show that Ryan accused Megan of “depriving (their son) of seeing his father.”
Megan told a judge that Ryan was showing “irrational and emotionally abusive behavior.” In October, the couple fought over how their son was buckled into a car seat and Megan said Ryan pushed her.
According to Megan, her dad was saying “Ryan stop, this isn’t healthy.”
On Friday, we spoke with Steve Flyte, who is a longtime caregiver for Jeffrey Johnson’s neighbor. He said the family was afraid of Jeffrey and suspected him of keying cars in the neighborhood over a parking dispute.
“We always kept away. The neighborhood was always scared of him,” Flyte said. “He did what he wanted. He thought the street belonged to him.”
Ryan Johnson went to Aloha High School. His former wrestling coach remembered him as a kid who easily made friends.
“It’s really unfortunate it had to end this way. He was a kid with big goals,” said Stuart Kearsley. “He kind of maybe shared in a little bit of trouble, but he was a great kid. He worked really hard for us and was a good wrestler and did some good things while he was in high school. We were proud of him.”
A sheriff’s office spokesman said Ryan Johnson’s younger brother witnessed the shooting.
Last March, Ryan Johnson pleaded guilty to telephonic harassment for calling and texting the mother of his son against a judge’s order.
This coming Tuesday, Ryan and Megan Johnson were supposed to be back in court for another custody hearing.