Thomas MacMillan Photo
The Button Street crime scene.
Police are investigating the city’s fifth homicide of the year, the murder of a 23-year-old at 48 Button St.
Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery:
At 8 p.m. on Wednesday, police and EMS personnel responded to 548 Washington Ave. in the Hill on a report of a person needing medical help. They found 23-year-old Michael Johnson suffering from numerous gunshot wounds to the torso. He was inside a parked car near his home at 544 Washington Ave. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Det. Frank Melendez looks for clues at the crime scene.
Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit determined that the Johnson was shot near 48 Button St., just a few blocks away. While the investigation is in preliminary stages, evidence suggests the murder may be drug-related.
Police are asking anyone with information on the crime to call (203) 946‑6304. All tips will remain anonymous.
In other crime news, according to Avery:
At 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday an 80-year-old man flagged down an officer in front of 79 Howe St. and told the cop he had just been assaulted and robbed. The man had been pistol-whipped and had a head laceration. He told police he was approached by a man with a gun in the driveway of 107 Howe St. The man demanded money. The 80-year-old refused and was pushed to the ground and hit with the gun. The victim then handed over $120.
At 12:12 a.m. on Thursday, a Domino’s deliverer was robbed by three men, one of who had a gun. It happened at 92 Shepard St. They took cash.
Crime Map
Click here for a list of major crimes for March 2. Click on the image below to see those incidents placed on a citywide map.
NHPD
For block-by-block year-to-date crime information, plus daily crime maps, check out the Independent’s Crime Log.