CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are trying to figure out who shot and killed a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department dispatcher in east Charlotte over the weekend.
Neighbors and friends of Jeff Johnson are trying to process his death.
Friends said they are shocked and saddened and that Johnson was a happy person who never looked for trouble -- and they want answers.
Johnson was found shot to death in the woods off Central Avenue in east Charlotte Saturday. The shooting was close to several stores, restaurants and the neighborhood where Johnson lived.
People who live near the crime scene said they heard gunfire around 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
Johnson's friends want the person who killed him found immediately.
“He was a really good man, shirt off his back, help you anytime, drop whatever he's doing. A good man," said neighbor and friend Anna Hood.
Others described Johnson as a true friend and a fun-loving, popular guy who loved music and antique collecting.
"He has a lot of friends in the community," said Heather Nikoncyk. "Like I said, he brought different types of people together and that's what I loved most about him."
"I know he doesn't go out and look for trouble and that's very upsetting because he's like a normal person, like everybody. So it's difficult, that's the scary part," Hood said.
Friends of Johnson said he would often go for walks in the neighborhood and was a night owl. They also said it's mostly a quiet place to live and they're baffled by what happened.
“Something like this, there aren't words,” Dan Hood said.
“He was a loving person and it's just sad,” Niconcyk added.
No arrests have been made and police have not released any suspect information.
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