1992 slaying still baffles Lynn Police

This is another story in a series about cold cases in the city of LynnLYNN – On the afternoon of May 23, 1989, the rap music was cranked up to a deafening level at 62 Rockaway St., leaving neighbors to believe that the two teens who had just walked inside were partying.But when one teen left in a hurry minutes later and quickly scampered down the street, many began to wonder if he was the person who left the teen inside riddled with bullets and bleeding to death.Lawaun Sean Johnson was a 16-year-old sophomore at English High School who had recently moved to Lynn with his mother, Marion, in an effort to escape the street gangs and violence of Roxbury, according to Captain Mark O’Toole. But his short life ended in tragedy when he was shot four times in the chest at close range inside his home.”This was one of the first murders we had at the start of the street gang-violence era that is still going on,” O’Toole said. “He (Johnson) wasn’t in a gang, but he was affiliated with gang members and had several drug offenses in Boston and had been in the DYS (Department of Youth Services) system.”Witnesses told police they saw Johnson and another teen get out of a cab at his house around 3:30 p.m., which O’Toole said had picked the pair up at Wonderland station for a $10 fare. Although the windows were wide open, the sound of the loud music drowned out the rapid-fire gunshots from a .9mm handgun. Johnson was found by his mother around 7 p.m., music still blaring in the background as he lay face down on his bedroom floor, his white shirt drenched in blood.Two months prior to his murder, O’Toole said Johnson was awaiting trial on attempted murder charges in connection with the March 17 shooting in Roxbury of a 13-year-old affiliated with the Orchard Park gang.”Then, on May 15, a car outside Johnson’s grandmother’s house was shot up in Roxbury and he told police that he was being targeted and was in fear,” O’Toole said.Johnson had previously been beaten by members of the Orchard Park gang (OP Boys), after using a basketball court on their turf, and was hospitalized with a punctured lung.O’Toole said there is reason to believe Johnson’s murder was made in retaliation, but more than 22 years have passed with the killer remaining free. O’Toole said there were rumors in the past that the unidentified suspect was killed in a shoot-out, but so far, no evidence has turned up to support it.”It’s fairly evident that the person who accompanied Johnson into his house was someone that he knew,” O’Toole said. “Even though he was cautious of being harmed, he thought he was with a friend who ended up shooting him.”Anyone with information on this cold case is urged to call the police at 781-595-2000. Anonymous tips can be submitted by texting the word tiplynn and the information to tip411. Tips can also be sent through the department’s website, www.lynnpolice.org and clicking the “submit tip” icon.