Who is Denver Johnson? Mother of Indiana teen fatally shot by his best friend during a 'gun prank' wants murder charge dropped
CROWN POINT, INDIANA: Jason Paholi Jr was fatally shot by his best friend during an alcohol-fueled Memorial Day weekend ‘prank.’
The teen’s mother is now appealing that the accused shooter Denver Johnson shouldn’t be charged with murder.
“Him and Jason were best friends, and it’s not fair, it just does not sit well with me at all,” Jennifer Paholic said.
“It’s already tragic. It’s already horrible. I just feel like this is making it so much worse, and there are so many people that are hurting because of this,” she told NewsNation.
Two moms I would never have expected to be sitting next to each other.
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 22, 2023
Jason Paholik was shot and killed by his best friend Denver Johnson.
The teens were partying in the backyard when Denver says the gun accidentally went off.
Now both moms say the murder charge is unfair. pic.twitter.com/IIPdFGcf3T
When did shooting occur?
It was on May 28 when an officer reached out to a backyard fire pit in the 12,000 block of Burr Street in Crown Point to attend a call of an assault with a firearm.
The 18-year-old faces a murder charge in the shooting of his 16-year-old friend who was initially booked for reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter, pointing a firearm, and criminal recklessness.
As per court documents, Johnson screamed for help when the officer arrived. “He’s in the back! I shot him!”
The officer went back and found Paholik lying on his back near the fire pit. He then tried to perform CPR on him, but the teen died in a hospital.
Denver Johnson told authorities he thought the gun was empty
Johnson allegedly told authorities that he thought the gun was empty and wouldn’t fire if he pulled the trigger. The 18-year-old shot him in the chest from point-blank range, as per Law and Crime.
“Immediately thereafter, a noticeably distinct noise can be heard that appears to be the male suspected to be Denver Johnson cocking the firearm,” read the affidavit.
“During this time, Jason Paholik appears to walk out of view of the camera for a moment, before walking back toward Denver Johnson in a seemingly casual manner,” the affidavit added.
One person appears to be saying repeatedly, “Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.”
“The male suspected to be Denver Johnson then appears to briefly lower the firearm before raising it again and shooting Jason Paholik, whereupon Jason Paholik falls down as if he was shot,” the affidavit added.
Johnson's mother saw the doorbell video, “He mistakenly cleared the chamber and then removed the clip,” she told the outlet.
“So he thought the gun was safe, and they continued to play around with it and wave it. And, you know, Jason was even dancing in front of it at one point, and they were pretending like, you know, there he was getting shot. And then just that last time there was, you know when he actually pulled it that time, there was actually something in there.”
