Ex-Titans star Chris Johnson is accused of a murder-for-hire plot paying a gang member to kill two men he blamed for shooting him and killing his friend in 2015
- Former Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson is being accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to kill the two men who shot him and his friend in 2015
- That friend, Dreekius Johnson, ultimately died as a result of the 2015 shooting
- Another man, Reggie Johnson, suffered non-threatening wounds in that incident. Dreekius, Reggie, and Chris Johnson are reportedly not related
- Although Chris Johnson, 34, has not been formally charged, TMZ reported Thursday that prosecutors believe he paid Dominic Bolden for the murders
- Bolden, who was shot to death in January, allegedly killed his targets in 2016
- A Chris Johnson spokesman said there is ‘no validity to any of these accusations
Former Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson is being accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to kill the two men who shot him and his friend in 2015.
That friend, Dreekius Johnson, ultimately died as a result of the 2015 shooting. Another man, Reggie Johnson, suffered non-threatening wounds in that incident. Dreekius, Reggie, and Chris Johnson are not related, according to a 2015 ESPN article, but as Dreekius’s mother told WFTV.com, they were childhood friends growing up in the Orlando area.
Although Chris Johnson, 34, has not been formally charged, TMZ reported Thursday that prosecutors believe he paid Dominic Bolden for the murder and helped Bolden to traffic drugs.
Bolden, who was shot and killed in Florida last January, is accused of killing the men who were allegedly responsible for the 2015 shooting on January 19, 2016 and on July 24, 2016, according to TMZ.
The convicted felon had previously served time for fleeing law enforcement, according to a 2014 Orlando Sentinel report. He was also accused of first-degree murder and attempted home-invasion robbery.
A police source told TMZ that Chris Johnson provided ‘funds and an individual who could continually supply Dominic Bolden with as much narcotics as needed to supply the [drug trafficking organization].’
A spokesperson for Johnson refuted the accusation to TMZ: ‘There’s no validity to any of these accusations.’
Johnson, who was shot int he shoulder, has been public about the incident in the past, telling CBS Sports Radio in 2015 that it was a ‘life-changing experience.’
‘It showed you how to enjoy life and how to enjoy every day waking up,’ he said. ‘Because just as easily as it was one of my best friends that was sitting right next to me—the one that got killed—it easily could have been me. So these days, I’m just enjoying life and making sure I enjoy each day.’
Johnson famously became the seventh player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season back in 2009, when he won Offensive Player of the Year honors. He retired after stints with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.