What appears to have been a family reunion and holiday party turned tragic for the MMA community, in particular Strikeforce, over the weekend as one of their top Heavyweight prospects, Lavar Johnson, was among at least 5 people shot early Sunday morning. At least one person was killed and Johnson was seriously injured. MMAjunkie.com story:
Strikeforce, WEC and Palace Fighting Championship veteran Lavar Johnson (12-3) is reportedly battling for his life after suffering a gun shot wound early Sunday morning.
Johnson and three others were injured in Bakersfield, Calif., just after 12 a.m. PT Sunday morning when an unidentified assailant opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun at a gathering that the fighter was attending.
A fifth victim, Anthony Mack Johnson, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene.
While MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that Johnson is currently under medical supervision, Bakersfield police representatives were unsure of which hospital was currently treating the heavyweight fighter.
Though the complete details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting are still being investigated, the Bakersfield Californian has reported that Johnson was attending a family reunion/Independence Day celebration. Just after midnight, up to three pedestrians – now suspects in the crime – were seen walking past the house that was hosting the celebration.
One of the suspects, described as a black male in his late teens, opened fire and “began to indiscriminately discharge the weapon” according to the report.
Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz told MMAjunkie.com the organization is both shocked and saddened by the news.
“It’s such an unfortunate situation,” Afromowitz said. “Lavar is an amazing fighter, and he is also one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.”
Afromowitz said he was still learning the full details of the situation at this time.
“We’re not sure exactly what happened, but we know Lavar is fighting for his life right now in a local hospital,” Afromowitz said. “Obviously we’re hoping for the best for Lavar and his family.”
Johnson fought for Strikeforce in May, earning a highlight-reel knockout over Carl Seumanutafa in just 18 seconds. The win was Johnson’s fifth straight, and 11 of his 12 career wins have come by knockout or TKO.
Hopefully more details will come out soon and I will wait for them before offering further thoughts, but at first glance this appears to be a random act of violence, which as always seems to bring tragic consequences and raises more questions than it provides answers. My thoughts and prayers are with Lavar Johnson and the other victims and their families in this difficult time.
(Quick update I found at the link to Bakersfield.com above before posting this: It appears Lavar Johnson was shot in the abdomen. The 3 other injuries were described as minor to moderate, with the moderate one being the wife of the person killed. And although it will be obvious to most MMA and UFC fans, this person was not UFC’s Anthony “Rumble” Johnson)
