AKRON, Ohio — On the day that jury selection was to begin in the case of Joseph Johnson, the teen accused of shooting an Akron gas station employee following a robbery, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office has announced that a plea deal has been reached.
The 17-year-old Johnson agreed to plead guilty to one count of aggravated robbery with a gun specification, a felony of the first degree. Sentencing for Johnson has been set for Dec. 12.
CASE HISTORY
According to an Akron police release, officers were called to the area of Delia Avenue and Wildwood Avenue for a reported shooting at 12:37 p.m. on Jan. 25. When police arrived, they found a 25-year-old man with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers provided emergency first aid, including applying a tourniquet until EMS arrived.
Investigators believe Johnson entered the Gas & Save located in the 800 block of West Exchange Street and stole what was originally thought to be a tip jar from the counter. The victim, an employee of the store, apparently followed the suspect a few blocks down Delia Avenue before being shot. The suspect then fled the area on foot.
The victim, later identified as Ravindra Airy, was transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center. Investigators say he will face "life-long complications due to this shooting."
On Feb. 6, Akron police, working in tandem with the U.S. Marshals' Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, captured Johnson in the 800 block of Oberlin Street.
In early April, Johnson's case was bound over from juvenile court to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, meaning the teen would be charged as an adult. He was indicted on April 19 on two counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of felonious assault. All four charges carried a three-year gun specification.
