Shooting victim identified as Terrell Johnson; Joshua Carter charged with second-degree murder

Downtown London echoed with the sounds of gunshots early Sunday morning (Sept. 30), leaving one young man dead and another injured. The blood of 21-year-old Terrell Johnson, who was fatally wounded, and the unidentified 28-year-old man that was injured, could still be seen on the sidewalk the next day when City Lights Bookshop owner Teresa Tarasweicz arrived to open her shop Monday morning. “Today we were just walking past there, every time we went for a break, and we’re just really depressed — it’s a really big thing,” Tarasweicz said. The shooting took place around 3:10 a.m. as a group of men gathered on the corner of Richmond and Kings streets. Police were nearby and heard “a number of gunshots,” according to London Police Insp. Chris Newton, but by the time they arrived, several people involved in the incident had already fled. They did arrest seven men at the scene, one of which was 22-year-old London resident Joshua Carter, 22, who now faces a second-degree murder charge. He is currently remanded into the custody of the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre. This charge has not been proven in a court of law. Tarasewicz describes the incident as “horrifically sad.” She added the big tragedy with this and other similar incidents is it’s youth-on-youth violence. “Some of the last shootings that happened were young people getting into fights with each other,” Tarasewicz said, adding she picked some flowers from her garden and placed them at the street corner to pay tribute to the victim. “I really think we need youth talking to youth on how to combat this whole talking trash to each other at night and then just not making it escalate into a life or death situation. “Only they can stop it.” Police said there is no information at this time to indicate anyone involved in this incident is a gang member. Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to call the London Police Service at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in online anonymously to www.londoncrimestoppers.com. Find us on Facebook: London Community News