PORT ST. JOHN, Florida — The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office says that at approximately 4:50 a.m., a neighbor living near 7245 Bright Avenue in Port St. John, Florida was awakened by the sounds of gunshots which was followed by three children knocking at his door. The neighbor opened the door and saw the three children who told the neighbor that they had been shot.
The neighbor provided a towel to one of the boys for his injuries when the mother came out of her house and called the children to come back inside her home. The children complied to their mother’s command and went back inside her house. The neighbor then heard more gunshots from inside the children’s house. The neighbor immediately called 9-1-1.
The initial responding Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene at 4:54 a.m. When deputies arrived, they found 17-year-old Pebbles Johnson laying in the front yard. Deputies extricated her from the immediate scene by driving a car up on the front yard and bringing her back to safety. After being treated by responding emergency medical personnel, Pebbles was pronounced dead at the scene according to Brevard County Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Tod Goodyear. The deputies heard three shots come from within the residence. At approximately 5:03 a.m., deputies observed an occupant with a firearm come outside the front door briefly, then went back inside into the house. Although the blinds were drawn, deputies saw what they believed to be the glow of a cigarette moving around inside the home. One final gunshot was heard by the deputies approximately fifteen minutes after they arrived at the scene.
Because deputies heard shots, they put together two SWAT entry teams. “We always take steps to protect the deputies, but once we have an active-type shooter and have victims there, at that point is why we sped up to make entry.” Goodyear said.
After the SWAT team cleared the residence, they found four more victims inside. Goodyear says they believe the shooter was the mother of the children, 33-year-old Tonya Thomas who appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The children are identified as Joel Johnson, age 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13, Jaxs Johnson, 15, and Pebbles Johnson, 17.
At approximately 3 a.m., the mother had sent a text to a neighbor saying that she wanted to be cremated with her children. Unfortunately, the neighbor was not awake at the time and did not read the text until he woke which was after the shooting had occurred. Goodyear added.
Because some of the victims attended Brevard County Public Schools, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Department has notified Brevard County Public Schools of the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office has notified the father of the children, who is separated from the mother and does not reside at the home, but does live in Brevard County
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Good God. I don't want to be too nitpicky at the neighbor but why in God's name wouldn't you call 911 the second you realize a child has been shot? Or is somehow greiviously injured in the middle of the night? And why would you let them leave your house? I'm sure the neighbor is beating himself up enough but sheesh.
I agree with you Anonymous
I would love to think that I wouldn't have made the same mistakes, but after having three bloody children show up at your door at nearly 5 AM, I don't think you'd be thinking very clearly. And then, their mother calls them into the house. Unless she had the firearm in her hands when she did so, you would have no knowledge of who shoot them. Going home to their mother would have been their safest option in any other scenario where she was not the shooter. The neighbor probably was temporarily relieved that the children were in good hands with their mother until he heard the gunshots. I imagine the neighbor is doing far more than beating himself up. That's something you'd never forgive yourself for...
at that hour anyone knocks on my door and I answer with a firearm, if I saw kids shot, or bloody as said, I would had drug them into my home, at least till we figured out WTH was going on!having four kids of my own, there is NO way I would have let those kids leave my doorway and me still breathing........
From the story I conclude that:1. A single, black mom. (no mention of a dad)2. Either heavily drugged up or forgot to take her anti-crazy pills.3. Neighbors are cluesless.Hey it's Porta John. Not Port St. John.Porta John, just one flush away.
They did mention the dad. A lot. Skip to the last paragraph if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing.They also never said she's black.
You are correct. They did mention a dad. But he does not live in the home.As for being black. The first names are a give away. I saw a picture of the dead and yes, they're black. Oh and the teen boy was a thug in training.Very sad.
Just to clear this up. I knew the youngest victim and he was a sweet child. As far as critizing the neighbor, no one but them and the kids know exactly what happened that morning. At first there was a discrepancy with the children and they told the neighbors that the youngest one shot his mother so the neighbor did not have a clue who was the shooter at that point. No one knows what they would do in that situation. Also as far as it being a black family, do your research before you comment, it is statistically very rare that a black woman would kill her own children then herself, typically it is a white woman or white men who carry out these types of murder-suicides. No one will ever know what went terribly wrong in that house that morning, I can only hope that all 4 of the children are now in Gods Hands. R.I.P - Johnson Children. You may be gone but the memories of you will live on forever.....
Good God. I don't want to be too nitpicky at the neighbor but why in God's name wouldn't you call 911 the second you realize a child has been shot? Or is somehow greiviously injured in the middle of the night? And why would you let them leave your house? I'm sure the neighbor is beating himself up enough but sheesh.
I agree with you Anonymous