Johnson pleads guilty to Malice Murder connected to 2022 shooting

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The suspect in a shooting that took place at the 7-Star Food Mart in June 2022 pled guilty for her involvement in the incident.

According to a release by the Houston County District Attorney’s Office, 24-year-old Surayah Johnson pled guilty to Malice Murder and two counts of Aggravated Assault on Feb. 9.

Johnson was sentenced by Chief Superior Court Judge Edward D. Lukemire to life in state prison for the murder charge and for 20 years for each count of aggravated assault, to run concurrently with the life sentence. She was set for a jury trial on Feb. 12 but pled guilty before the trial.

The incident the charges stem from took place on June 27, 2022. According to the release, in the early morning hours, Johnson shot Jamal Colson with a handgun during a conversation in the parking lot of the 7-Star Food Mart located at 699 N. Davis Drive.

After she shot Colson, she shot into the crowd running away from the shots, striking two victims in the elbow and lower leg. She then returned to Colson’s body and shot him several more times before fleeing on foot.

Colson was pronounced dead at the hospital and unarmed during the incident. Meanwhile, Johnson was taken into custody by the Warner Robins Police Department soon after that.

The case was investigated by Det. Karmen Thompson and was prosecuted by Houston County District Attorney William Kendall, Chief Assistant District Attorney Eric Edwards, and Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Winters.

Edwards and Kendall spoke on the case, while Kendall also expressed appreciation to law enforcement and the district attorney’s office.

“Surayah Johnson displayed, in this case, a complete indifference for human life that will not be tolerated in Houston County. She not only introduced a handgun into an argument with an unarmed man, killing him in cold blood, but she then turned her weapon upon completely uninvolved bystanders. She has proven herself wholly unfit for participation in society, and our office is very thankful for the fast and diligent work of the Warner Robins Police Department in removing this criminal from our city streets, and for the sentence handed down by Judge Lukemire to ensure that she spends the bulk of her life behind bars, unable to take anyone else’s life by use of a firearm,” Edwards said.

“In a press conference in 2022, I told the community that we would seek justice and hold the killers accountable, that’s exactly what we did here. Johnson has no place in our community. She is a cold-blooded killer, who displayed complete disregard for the lives of others. In preparation for the upcoming trial, Johnson pleaded guilty to malice murder and will spend the foreseeable future behind bars where she belongs. This type of heinous act not only ended a life, but jeopardized the lives and freedom of others who had no part in her feud with Mr. Colson,” Kendall said. “While we cannot bring Mr. Colson back, we hope this will provide some closure to his family and friends. I am very appreciative of the hard work and dedication by the men and women of the Warner Robins Police Department, at the time they were dealing with a very sad time in our community with a rash of serious violent crime, despite that, the WRPD remained focused and did an exceptional job working the case. My appreciation also goes to Chief ADA Eric Edwards and Deputy Chief ADA Greg Winters for working together with me in seeking justice. Our mission continues, we will serve as a beacon of hope for victims of crime and act as a deterrent to those who plan to do evil to others.”

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