Following an autopsy today, Butler County Coroner Dr. Lisa Mannix ruled Robert Johnson’s death a suicide and Scott Johnson’s death a homicide. Both died of gunshot wounds, according to the coroner.
Two 911 tapes released today provide some insight into how the tragic events may have unfolded. Scott Johnson’s girlfriend placed a frantic call to 911, telling a dispatcher that she was on the phone with Scott when he started “screaming and crying on the phone.
“I didn’t know what was wrong, and then I heard gunshots,” she sobbed. “He said his dad freaked out on him earlier.”
Scott Johnson was found by officers in a hallway closet with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his left side, according to police.
In another 911 call, Robert Johnson’s brother, David Johnson, who also lived at the residence and discovered his brother’s body, can be heard crying frantically that “Bobby shot himself with a .38” caliber weapon.
“He’s dead, man. He took a .38 and blew his brains out,” he yelled to the dispatcher as he pleaded for him to send help. “He’s in the floor dying…Why did you kill yourself?”
Gidget Ackerson, Robert Johnson’s niece, said David Johnson returned home and found his brother dead, but did not know Scott was in the house.
Hamilton detective Richard Burkhardt said there were no prior police incidents reported at the Johnsons’ home, and neither the father nor the son had any prior contact with police.
Family members gathered at the home this morning to comfort one another.
Ackerson said the family had no clue why her uncle turned violent.
“The family is really crushed about what happened,” said Ackerson, of Morgan Twp. “We just don’t understand. Nobody saw this coming.”
Ackerson said Robert Johnson had recently retired from his job as a corrections officer and she was unaware of any conflicts he may have had with his son.
“Maybe some day we will know why, but it really doesn’t matter,” she said. “They are both gone and there is nothing we can do to bring them back.”