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Cody Lee Johnson, 29, died of gunshot wounds on January 20th, 2009.

Johnson was Edmonton's second homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

images of person of interest released in Vasquez case

In the three weeks since the city's last murder, that of the December 31st stabbing death of 18-year-old Steven Lee Mills, Edmonton homicide detectives were no doubt catching up on old case files. All that changed quickly when the city recorded its first two murders of 2009 – just 45 minutes apart.

In one case, a man on a parking lot fired shots into a black SUV. In the second, a person inside a black SUV fired shots at a man on a street. Police later said the victims, Cody Lee Johnson and Fernando Alberto Vasquez, were known to each other through a drug connection.

The first call came in at about 11:23 p.m. January 20th, 2009 after a black Cadillac Escalade SUV slammed into a house at 7707 156 Street.

Paramedics, thinking they were responding to a simple collision call, quickly realised they had something more serious on their hands. The driver had been shot in the neck and in the upper torso.

After attempting to resuscitate the man, EMS pronounced him dead at the scene and police were called in. Media interviews with witnesses quickly outlined what had taken place.

The Escalade had been seen running and parked in a strip mall just west of where it was later found. A man approached the SUV and fired twice at its driver.

The vehicle took off, eastbound into the T-intersection of 77A Avenue and 156 Street, going over one lawn, over an elevated curb separating two houses and onto the front porch of a split-level home.

The man in the parking lot caught up to the still-running truck, looked in, and fired two or three more shots before fleeing.

Police said they were looking for a male in his late 20s or early 30s, wearing a red and black plaid jacket with a black hoodie underneath, who was spotted running west from the area.

Initially, witnesses reported seeing at least one person, thought to be the SUV's passenger, also fleeing the scene – possibly to a waiting getaway vehicle.

The SUV's accelerator was apparently floored by the victim's foot, causing the engine to race and catch fire.

Patrons standing outside a local pub rushed over to the SUV and turned off its engine. As the shooter ran by them he pointed a gun in their direction.

A dog unit was brought in but a track couldn't be established. Acting Insp. Doug Fedechko told media that the possible shooter didn't appear to be connected to anyone in the neighbourhood.

Police noted that the driver side window was rolled down and that the bullets appeared to have come from outside the vehicle.

Neither of the two people in the house were injured and the fire was quickly put out, Insp. Fedechko stated – read more »

Detectives suspected they already knew the identity of the victim but were waiting for confirmation from the medical examiner's office.

The Metro Edmonton Gang Unit was notified but wasn't initially involved in the investigation. Police said that may change once the identity of the man was established.

The Escalade was thought to be registered to a carpentry business operated by two men out of an apartment complex at 5303 25 Avenue in Mill Woods. A decal indicating ICJC Finishing Carpentry Ltd. could be seen on the back window.

The second homicide call came in at 12:13 a.m. January 21st, 2009 after 24-year-old Fernando Alberto Vasquez was found gunned down and lying face up in a pool of blood on McAllister Loop, west of 111th Street and just north of MacEwan Road, in the city's southwest.

Police initially said the two homicides appeared to be unrelated.

"We haven't made any connections between the two yet," Robertson said, adding it was yet too early to say that they are definitely not connected.

"That's one possibility we're considering."

A police spokesman later indicated detectives were still trying to figure out if the cases were related.

“Certainly when you have two incidents like this so close together in the city in the same area of town, that’s something we need to look at,” he said.

On January 22nd autopsy results indicated that 29-year-old Cody Lee Johnson had died of gunshot wounds.

Johnson and Vasquez were known to police and to each other through a drug connection. The investigation into the sequence of events and the suspects involved continues.

Those with information about either incident were asked to contact Edmonton police at 780-423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.tipsubmit.com

Tips can also be text messaged. In Edmonton, text TIP250 + message and send to CRIMES (274637). In Northern Alberta, text TIP205 + message and send to CRIMES (274637).

A police spokesman later said investigators had received good information about possible suspects and they no longer require the public's assistance.

Also confirmed was that the drug unit was now playing an active role in the cases. The gang unit had been notified from the outset, but a gang connection had yet to be established.

While police had yet to draw conclusions, a criminologist was quite convinced the shootings were gang-motivated and a sign of more violence to come – read more »

Information coming from a friend of one of the two men shot possibly suggested that Johnson's shooting was a case of mistaken identity.

"Fernando used to own the Cadillac, but he sold it to Cody. So that's why Cody was in the vehicle," Ignacio Claveria told the Edmonton Journal.

Claveria, who was a longtime friend of Vasquez, started a carpentry business in 2008 with his cousin. When Vasquez still owned the Escalade he offered to put their company sticker on the back of the SUV.

Claveria said he had met Johnson once or twice, but didn't really know him. Neither did he think Vasquez was involved in drugs.

"He was a great person. He never involved his friends in any of that," he said.

"He was a great guy, always happy, cheerful, generous. He always wanted to help. He saw us open up our company and right away he offered to promote it," Claveria said.

The Johnson family have so far declined comment. Claveria said Vasquez's mother was extremely distraught over the loss of her son.

Images of person of interest released in Vasquez case

On September 11th, 2009 police released images of a person of interest in connection with the Johnson-related death of Fernando Vasquez. It was the first major development in either case in almost nine months – read more »

CTV Edmonton's coverage of Johnson's murder can be seen here.

The Edmonton Sun's coverage can be seen here.

The Edmonton Police Service web site entry for Cody Lee Johnson can be seen here.

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
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deadmonton 2009 - cody lee johnson