MUNCIE, Ind. – To bring attention to their loved one who was murdered in February, a Muncie family purchased billboard advertisement to help police catch the suspect responsible.
Joseph Johnson, 38, was killed Feb. 5 outside of his home in the 1500 block of Pershing Drive. His family said the father of seven has been missed and they want to find the person involved in the murder.
"He just did not deserve that,” said Brenda McCoy, Johnson’s mother. “Everybody in the community loved him. Older people come to me and tell me how good of a job I did raising him because he was so respectable. He respected everybody.”
Johnson’s family recently purchased a 12 x 44-foot billboard asking for Justice for Joseph. The billboard also brings awareness to gun violence in the city – a message community members said needs to be shared.
"I'm not afraid. I fear nothing,” said Tracie Johnson, the victim’s cousin. “This is our fight to standup and help other people. We plan to have awareness for different families, that have been victims of gun violence."
The family began selling t-shirts and bracelets to pay for the billboard, which costs them $1,000 initially and $500 every month it is on display.
Johnson’s family hopes to keep the billboard posted for the next six months.
