Harvey L. Bryant, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, announced today that Dominique Lamar Johnson, 24 years old, who previously resided in the 700 block of Wickford Drive in Chesapeake, Virginia, was found guilty by a jury of charges of Unlawful Wounding and Use of a Firearm. The jury recommended a sentence of eight (8) years in prison. Further, Johnson pled guilty today to Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, which carries a mandatory sentence of two (2) years in prison. Circuit Court Judge Edward W. Hanson Jr., who presided over the three-day trial, will formally sentence Johnson on February 13, 2013.
The Commonwealth’s evidence proved that on the evening of January 17, 2012, Dominique Lamar Johnson and a female friend went to Mermaid’s Club in Virginia Beach. The victim also went to Mermaid’s with a group of girls that night. An argument broke out between Johnson’s friend and the victim’s friends. The victim and his friends left the club and went back to a home on S. Clubhouse Road. Phone calls were exchanged between the two groups. At about 3:00 a.m., a group of girls pulled up to the home to start a fight. The victim then walked out of the house to intervene, and another car pulled up. Dominque Johnson and another man got out of the car, and Johnson began to shoot at the victim. The victim was shot in both legs and survived, although he has permanent scarring and nerve damage. Johnson fled the scene and police were called. At least four witnesses to the shooting were friends with Dominique Johnson and could identify him. Johnson was also linked to the crime through cell phone records, which indicated his phone was used near the scene at the time of the shooting. Johnson fled to Fayetteville, North Carolina, and was arrested when he came to an appointment at Chesapeake Probation and Parole a couple weeks later.
Johnson’s criminal record includes convictions for Robbery, Use of a Firearm, Wearing a Mask in Public, and Conspiracy.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott M. Lang and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney S. Mario Lorello. Please contact Macie Pridgen if additional information is desired.