Former NFL running back Chris Johnson is accused of paying a suspected gang member for allegedly killing two men who shot him and killed his friend in 2015, according to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports.
Johnson, 34, has not been charged with a crime but prosecutors believe he paid a “noted Florida gang member” named Dominic Bolden to kill the suspected gunmen in a March 2015 drive-by shooting in Orlando.
Johnson, a three-time Pro Bowler who last played in 2017 for Arizona, was shot in the shoulder during the Orlando shooting, but made a full recovery. The driver of Johnson’s Jeep, Dreekius Oricko Johnson, died after being shot in the head. Police at the time said Johnson was “uncooperative” and investigators suspected the vehicle had been targeted.
Law enforcement officials now believe the shooting was a “gang related murder attempt” on Johnson, according to the new court documents the gossip site obtained.
After Johnson was shot, Bolden allegedly gunned down the suspected Orlando shooters in two separate incidents in January and July 2016. In return for the alleged actions, Johnson helped Bolden lead a drug trafficking organization and provided him “funds and an individual” who could supply him with narcotics for the drug trafficking organization, an informant told authorities.
The alleged “murder for hire” scheme boosted Bolden’s rank and rep within the drug trafficking organization, ultimately making him its “de facto leader,” the informant said.
Johnson tweeted “false news” on Thursday afternoon and a rep for Johnson earlier denied the allegations.
“There’s no validity to any of these accusations,” Johnson’s rep told TMZ.
Johnson spent one ill-fated season with the New York Jets in 2014 before the team cut ties with him. He starred for the Tennessee Titans for six seasons, including one 2,000-yard season, before signing with the Jets.