JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville man accused of killing his brother-in-law in front of his Westside home likely knew his schedule and was “lying in wait” before firing the fatal shots, according to an arrest report released Thursday by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Christopher Thompson, 47, was booked Monday into the Duval County jail on charges of second-degree murder and resisting arrest without violence, according to jail records.
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Sources told News4JAX that Thompson is the brother-in-law of Ronnie Lee Johnson, who was gunned down Sunday morning while his son was asleep inside.
JSO detectives believe that based on the circumstances, Johnson was shot at close range by someone who was familiar with his routine.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Johnson had just arrived home and was bringing some packages into the house on Monteau Drive around 9 a.m. Sunday when someone came up behind him and fired at least one shot. The 49-year-old fell to the ground inside the house, and he died at the scene, JSO said.
According to the report released Thursday, surveillance video in the area showed a man dressed in shorts, a dark sweatshirt and a dark hat riding a bike and hiding it in the area about 30 minutes before the shooting. Minutes after neighbors heard shots, neighbors said, they saw the same man run across the neighborhood before riding off on a bike.
By then, JSO had a good idea that they were looking for Thompson and saw him return home about an hour after the murder, the report shows.
JSO SWAT officers eventually descended Thompson’s home in the Argyle area, forced their way inside and got him to come out of his bedroom after multiple attempts over the loudspeaker.
The arrest report notes that when Thompson was taken into custody, he “did not appear to suffer from any significant mental illness,” but later when detectives started to interview him, he complained his head hurt from brain swelling and mumbled when he spoke.
“It is this detective’s opinion that the suspect intentionally amplified any symptoms associated with mental health when he felt that he was being observed by investigators, but did not exhibit these same symptoms when he felt that he was not being observed,” the arrest report states.
Thompson was later taken to a hospital and evaluated before he was absentee booked and discharged to the jail a couple of days later.
He is being held on no bond.
