Family, friends remember man shot outside Aloha store

ALOHA, Ore. – Family and friends gathered in Aloha Saturday to remember a 22-year-old father who shot and killed outside a grocery store last month.

Ryan Johnson was gunned down in the parking lot of a Thriftway store on Jan. 26. His mother, Amy Johnson, says he was killed over a custody battle for his 3-year-old son. The child's grandfather, 52-year-old Jeffrey Brian Johnson, is now facing murder charges. He and the victim share the same last name but are not related.

Saturday, hundreds of people filled the auditorium at the Church of Life in Aloha to share their most cherished memories of Johnson.

“It’s been really hard,” said Ryan’s father Tim Davis. “We had planned on doing a lot of fishing this year and doing a lot of things that I didn’t get to do last year because I didn’t have time. He always said ‘don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it dad.’”

The family set up a memorial fund in Ryan’s name. Donations can be made to the Ryan Lee Johnson Memorial Fund at any US Bank.

“I always heard it from him, he said, ‘dad I love you,’” said Davis. “I said ‘I love you too.’ And sometimes he’d have that smile afterwards that just lit me up.”

“He was a better father at his age than I was. Taught me a lot. Taught us all a lot.”