Helena-West Helena man shoots sister, then himself after argument

Raven Moore
·2 min read
2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Helena-West Helena Police responded to a murder-suicide on Wednesday.

Officers say they received a call in the morning about a man on Market Street who’d been shot.

When they arrived, they spoke with a woman, Sally Mills, who said that her son Jermod Johnson had shot his sister Starla and then himself.

The witness led detectives to 16-year-old Starla’s body, which was lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor. While examining the body, they found signs of an apparent gunshot wound to her head.

Near her body, they found the body of Johnson. It appeared he also had a gunshot wound to the head. He was 27-years-old.

Both were pronounced dead on the scene by the police.

Arkansas town concerned about bridge after Baltimore collapse

The witness claimed the incident started when her children had got into an argument. Supposedly, Johnson was upset that Starla had given him a dirty look.

The witness then said that Johnson began to spit on his sister, which made the argument turn more volatile. The witness said she tried to separate the two, but he continued to try to spit on Starla.

He then walked off and came back with her pistol. The witness said that he fired a single shot, but it did not hit Starla.

As the argument worsened, Johnson allegedly shot Starla in the head.

The witness was not sure how many times he shot, but she knew the gun went off approximately three or four times.

After shooting his sister, the witness said that Johnson then turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the head.

The mother says she bought the gun for protection due to the crime in the neighborhood. She also says her son suffered from “flashbacks” to incidents while growing up.

Both bodies were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab.

The mother says she has no financial insurance and no financial means to bury her children. To help donate the money you can cash app $Millssally41 or message her on Facebook here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.