Man faces attempted murder and other charges in Rochester shooting incident

Jared A. Johnson, 22, of South Bend, faces charges of attempted murder, robbery and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting at three people in a vehicle behind Rumors, 1617 Main St., Rochester, on Oct. 11, 2023.

A South Bend man was booked Tuesday at the Fulton County Jail on charges stemming from a 2023 shooting incident in Rochester.

Jared A. Johnson, 22, of South Bend, faces charges of attempted murder, robbery and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting at three people in a car behind Rumors, 1617 Main St., on Oct. 11, 2023.

The shooting was reported to police shortly before 8 p.m. Witnesses reported that the car was shot at twice while leaving the area. Two pedestrians, considered suspects, also were seen fleeing on foot after the shooting occurred.

An affidavit of probable cause prepared by Rochester Police Detective Ben Wood indicates that 18-year-old Bryce Turner was quickly identified as one of the suspects. The other suspect was harder to identify due to a black ski mask covering their face, and someone other than Johnson was initially believed to have been involved.

Investigation would eventually clear that individual and reveal that Johnson had joined Turner in meeting with a female occupant of the car to purchase marijuana. 

After going back and forth about who would show the drugs or money first, Johnson allegedly pulled out a gun and leaned into the car during the deal. The woman responded by reversing away, causing Johnson and Turner to be knocked to the ground by her car door. 

Turner would later tell police that Johnson had fired two shots as she drove away. He said he knew Johnson had a gun with him, but they had not planned a robbery. 

Turner stated that he and Johnson ran back to where they were staying after the shooting, with everyone there wanting to know what happened and where the marijuana was. He additionally stated that he had confronted Johnson about letting someone else take the blame for his crimes. 

When questioned, Johnson denied having any knowledge of the shooting and claimed to have never been to Rochester, or even know where it is located. He denied knowing Turner and others he was reportedly staying with at the time. He also initially denied that a Facebook account that would later be searched belonged to him, and was unwilling to provide any phone data. 

In searching social media accounts, police uncovered that Johnson, Turner and others connected to the case were friends through Facebook and had been pictured together in Rochester. They also uncovered a group message allegedly sent by Johnson just an hour and a half after the shooting asking for someone to "scoop" him up because he needed to get out of "this city." He reportedly responded to someone that he was in Rochester. 

Police also reportedly found a screenshot of a text message from someone threatening to turn Johnson in, as well as seven different message conversations of him trying to sell a gun matching descriptions of the one used in the shooting. A Snapchat video of Johnson wearing a black ski mask and pointing a gun at the camera also surfaced during the investigation. 

On Tuesday, Johnson was transported on a warrant from the St. Joseph County Jail and booked without bond at the Fulton County Jail.