An Aiken man who got a light sentence for previous gun violence has been charged in a fatal shooting from last Halloween on Sumter Street.
Jemaurea Johnson, 20, was charged Tuesday with murder in the killing of 46-year-old Kenneth Jones. More arrests are expected.
The victim was killed on Oct. 31, 2023. Aiken Public Safety Officers responded to a shooting that morning near the intersection of Sumter Street and Sundy Avenue and found the victim beside the road. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Johnson is familiar to law enforcement after being arrested on two counts of attempted murder and other charges in January 2022 for a shooting on York Street. The following year, prosecutors dismissed the attempted murder charges and he pled guilty to discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle and unlawful carrying a pistol. A judge gave him credit for time in jail and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Even after his early release from prison, Johnson continued his criminal ways. In January 2024, he was arrested in Richmond County for fleeing police, leaving the scene of an accident, theft by receiving stolen property and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. In late February, North Augusta cops arrested him for failure to stop for blue light, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of a stolen vehicle, reckless driving, unlawful carrying of a pistol, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and marijuana possession. There are also reports that the gun they found on him was linked to Jones’ murder.
In March, he was placed on probation in South Carolina for 18 months.
