Boy, 16, who died as a result of racial incident phoned his dad as he ran from classmates

By all accounts, Orville Johnson was building a better life for his son in America.

The family hailed from Jamaica, arriving here about two years ago. Johnson built up his HVAC business. And he specifically chose the Central Dauphin School District for 16-year-old Justin because it was ‘the best,” a family friend told PennLive on Monday.

Johnson built a house in Stray Winds, a quiet development off Crumbs Mill Road in Lower Paxton Township. They moved in about 18 months ago.

Friday night, all Johnson’s hopes and dreams for Justin were dashed in the cruelest possible way.

This is Justin Johnson. He was a student at Central Dauphin High school who died after suffering from cardiac arrest. Police are looking into his death. @CBS21NEWS spoke with his dad who says he got a call from his son saying he had to run as fast as he could away from a group pic.twitter.com/qxkOEHkQ1X

— T.J. Anthony (@Tjanthonytv) April 29, 2024

The first sign of trouble was a panicked call from Justin, who was diagnosed with sickle cell disease. The boy was running “as fast as he could” to flee a group of kids, Johnson told CBS 21. The teen classmates had driven to Justin’s house, parked outside and were ringing the doorbell and calling for him to come outside.

PennLive also attempted to interview Johnson. A reporter, photographer and videographer were initially granted a one-on-one interview with the father Monday morning by a family friend who answered the door at the home. However, about two hours later, another family spokeswoman came out and told PennLive and two other media outlets that Johnson was advised by an attorney not to speak to the media.

Johnson told ABC 27 his son wasn’t supposed to overexert himself because of his medical condition. Despite this, Justin outran the pursuing boys, making it back to the family home.

By this time, however, Justin was having trouble breathing, Johnson told the news station.

The dad raced home to find Justin unconscious, lying face-down on the kitchen floor around 9:55 p.m.

“I called 911 immediately and they told me what to do,” Johnson told ABC 27. He began performing CPR on his son.

Justin was rushed by ambulance to Penn State Hershey Medical Center. But news from the hospital was grim, Johnson told ABC 27: “They called me and said I have to come to the hospital because they’re not getting a heartbeat.”

Justin died from cardiac arrest at the hospital. Then, things got even worse for the grief-stricken dad.

One cannot walk onto the Johnson driveway or the porch without the home’s Ring cameras activating. Johnson told the media he checked the Ring video to see why his son was running for his life.

The footage, timestamped around 8:30 p.m. Friday, shows three or four boys chasing another boy, believed to be Justin.

“Where did he go? He went to [expletive] Africa,” the chasing boys yelled in the video, which has since been posted online.

Johnson told CBS 21 he recognized the boys from an earlier visit to his home on April 22. Johnson said Justin told him at the time that the boys were members of the Central Dauphin football team. PennLive found the names of two boys on the roster.

Justin, a sophomore, aspired to play football for the Rams. A family friend told PennLive Justin was making strides toward this goal, despite his medical condition.

Now, his hard-working father who only wanted the best for his son is left heartbroken and at a loss for why any of this has happened.

“My son is a special son. He’s very special, I mean that’s my life,” Johnson told ABC 27.

Lower Paxton Township police have opened an investigation into the events surrounding Justin’s death. Three detectives visited the Johnson house mid-morning on Monday but declined to comment to PennLive.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission told PennLive they are also looking into the boy’s death. The commission has legislative authority to investigate incidents involving racial discrimination.

“The PHRC is heartbroken over the death of Justin Johnson, and we extend our support and condolences to his friends and family,” Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter said in a Monday news release.

“We are aware and very concerned of the alleged racist actions and will continue to monitor the incident. Hate has no place in Pennsylvania, and the PHRC stands committed to making sure everyone has the right to education, employment, housing and commercial property, and public accommodation free from discrimination. If you feel you have experienced discrimination, we urge you to contact the PHRC and file a complaint. It is only through speaking up that we can end hatred and discrimination.”

The PHRC created a Civil Rights Outreach Division this year to “address civil tensions, conflict, and incidents in communities and promote anti-racism through education and outreach.”

The PHRC said anyone who has experienced discrimination should file a complaint by calling 717-787-4410. More resources are available at www.PHRC.pa.gov.

The incident is the latest in a series of troubling events tainted by racism in Dauphin County.

As far back as 2016, current Dallas Cowboys star and former Penn State standout Micah Parsons left Central Dauphin High School and enrolled at Harrisburg High over what his father told PennLive was a racist social media post by a group of female students.

Also in 2016, a social media post by Central Dauphin School District students holding up a sign with a racist comment drew condemnation from students and parents.

In 2021, parents from Central Dauphin East Middle School demanded that officials from West Shore School District address a racial incident involving the N-word being used by a player at girls’ field hockey game.

Earlier this year, a Black family in Lower Dauphin High School went public about a school bus incident over a racial expletive that escalated into a fight and a suspension for the Black ninth-grader.

In response to Justin’s death, a rally is planned for Tuesday and a petition already signed by 3,000-plus people has been launched on Change.org.

The petition reads in part:

“On April 26th, 2024, our community lost a bright young soul, Justin Johnson. This tragic event has highlighted the underlying issue of subconscious racism that exists within Lower Dauphin County. The death of Justin is a huge reminder that our children of color are not safe in their schools or even their own neighborhoods. It is time we address this issue head-on.”