Man charged with New Year’s Day murder of Roderick Snowden which started with confrontation over woman

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 16:18:13 -0500

By LUKE WILUSZ
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Deandre Johnson | Chicago Police

A man has been charged with the fatal shooting of Roderick Snowden on New Year’s Day in Englewood, a confrontation that started over a woman stealing from him.

Deandre Johnson, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting 32-year-old Roderick Snowden in the 6100 block of South Sangamon, according to court records and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Johnson was dating a woman he met through Snowden, and she moved in with him about a month before the shooting occurred, prosecutors said. After an argument sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the woman stole drugs, cash and a gun from Johnson’s house before moving out.

The woman told a friend about the theft, and that friend later told Johnson and Snowden about it, according to court documents. During a phone conversation with the woman’s friend, Johnson threatened both the friend and Snowden, believing the woman and Snowden had conspired to steal from him.

Roderick Snowden | Facebook

Snowden arrived at the home of Johnson’s cousin about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 1, prosecutors said. Johnson, his cousin and several other people were there at the time. Snowden left about 9 p.m., around the same time Johnson and a “co-offender” left in a separate car.

Snowden received a call from Johnson’s cellphone at 9:26 p.m., prosecutors said. He drove to the 6100 block of South Sangamon and parked at 9:32 p.m. Johnson drove up a short time later in a light blue Saturn Ion and parked in front of Snowden’s car.

Johnson walked up to the car, briefly talked to Snowden, then walked away, according to prosecutors. He came back about three minutes later and fired into the car as he walked past the driver’s-side window, striking Snowden 11 times.

Snowden suffered two gunshot wounds to the cheek, two to the neck, one to the ear, three to the arm, and one to the chest; and graze wounds to the head and upper arm, according to court documents.

Johnson then drove away, prosecutors said. But he returned to the scene twice within 20 minutes of the shooting before police arrived. The second time, he stopped next to Snowden’s car and someone got out and walked over to the driver’s window of Snowden’s car.

Johnson drove off and came back two minutes later to pick that person up, according to court records.

Police arrived at 10:10 p.m. to find Snowden unresponsive in the car, prosecutors said. Snowden, who lived in the 1200 block of Wadsworth Avenue in North Chicago, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m., authorities said.

Johnson was arrested Jan. 27 for an armed robbery in which the same light blue Saturn Ion was used, prosecutors said. He was on parole and under electronic monitoring at the time of the shooting.

Illinois Department of Corrections records showed he had unauthorized movement and was outside of the range of the monitoring system when the shooting occurred, prosecutors said.

Cook County Circuit Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered Johnson held without bond Friday.

Deandre Johnson | Homicide Watch Chicago

Man charged with New Year’s Day murder of Roderick Snowden which started with confrontation over woman