Family honors Milwaukee homicide victim with celebration of life while searching for answers
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Family and friends gathered Saturday to celebrate the life of 56-year-old Janson Johnson, a Milwaukee man found dead inside a burning vehicle last month, while continuing to call for answers in his death.
Blue balloons filled the sky outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center as loved ones honored Johnson's life. Family and friends celebrated the father of three with some of the music and food he enjoyed most.
"He was a sweet, warm, gentle person, and we all loved him," Johnson's sister, Deanna Johnson, said. "As you can see, everybody's coming to celebrate him."
Johnson's daughter, Naudria Cooper, said she was grateful for the turnout.
"We didn't think it was going to turn out this big, but knowing my dad, we should have known because he was a good person," Cooper said. "He loved everybody. He was everybody's protector."
The celebration came after Milwaukee police found Johnson dead inside a burning vehicle near North 21st Street and West Concordia Avenue last month.
Police later determined the vehicle had been reported stolen and are investigating Johnson's death as a homicide. No arrests have been made.
"Nobody deserves to leave this earth this way," Johnson's aunt, Joyce Darby, said.
For Cooper, the loss is deeply personal.
"I'm 37, but everybody still needs their dad, and I do," she said. "I just miss him."
Family members said the lack of answers has made it difficult to move forward.
"Hurt, emotions and questions of why — what did he do to deserve this?" Cooper said. "It's a lot that goes through my mind."
Even as they celebrated Johnson's life Saturday, his family said they remain focused on finding justice.
"He has family that loves him, and we won't sleep until we get justice," Cooper said. "We won't stop until we get justice."