Suspect in 2009 McDonald's shooting pleads guilty
By Rhonda Griffin
 
The second of four suspects in the Jan. 12, 2009, shooting of 19-year-old Jahkee Travaughn Sledge in the parking lot of McDonald's in Elizabethtown plead guilty Monday morning to second-degree murder.
 
 

Jason Jamar Johnson, 24, is awaiting sentencing in the case after his guilty plea, District Attorney Jon David said in a telephone interview on Monday afternoon.
 
“I'm pleased the defendant has accepted responsibility for his behavior,” David said. “Moving forward, Mr. Johnson will serve as a witness in the state's case, with his future sentencing depending on his cooperation and willingness to testify truthfully.”
 
The first of the four defendants, Terrance Demont Daniels (R), has already plead guilty to the same charges, Elizabethtown Police Chief Bobby Kinlaw said of the case. The remaining two, Ricardo Tyre Melvin Jr., and Unique Dontia Lesesne, are still awaiting trial, he said.
 
The shooting occurred after an East/West game a little more than three years ago when two gangs met in the back parking lot of McDonald's, according to reports. A confrontation in the parking lot of the school at the game led to the meeting at the restaurant where the shootout occurred, reports showed. Multiple gunshots were fired from both directions, authorities said, and Johnson was killed during the incident.
 
A labor-intensive investigation was conducted after the incident on behalf of the Elizabethtown Police Department and the district attorney's office, along with other assisting agencies, Kinlaw said.
 
“Our goal is to resolve the cases for the remaining co-defendants in the near future,” David vowed, “and should this case proceed to a jury trial, I intend to personally be involved in the courtroom.”