Nearly six years after a south Minneapolis drive-by shooting killed a young mother behind the wheel, prosecutors have charged a suspect in the case. Malcolm Chan Johnson, 33, was booked into the Hennepin County jail this week and now faces a second‑degree murder charge in the death of 18‑year‑old Arionna Buckanaga. She was shot while driving on Cedar Avenue S and later died at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Johnson was charged on March 5 with second‑degree murder after being booked on March 3 and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail as he awaits a court appearance, according to the Star Tribune. Investigators at the scene recovered 32 9‑millimeter cartridge casings, and two handguns later found in a compost bin were allegedly matched to those casings. DNA recovered from an SUV linked to the suspects was also tested as part of the long-running probe.
The criminal complaint says Johnson admitted to driving the SUV and aiming at a man in the car, telling investigators he "did not know there was also a female in the car and that he did not mean to kill her," according to the Star Tribune. Authorities say an alleged accomplice later confessed from a federal prison in Kentucky that he fired from the SUV's passenger seat on Feb. 17, and prosecutors say those admissions helped move the stalled case forward.
Buckanaga was 18 and the mother of a toddler at the time she was killed; relatives told reporters she was finishing high school and preparing to start a job. A prayer vigil in the days after the 2020 shooting drew calls from family and community members for tips and answers, as FOX 9 reported at the time.
Investigation timeline and evidence
Investigators reviewed surveillance video that showed Buckanaga's car at a gas station at E. Lake Street and 17th Avenue S. shortly before the shooting. Officers later found an SUV abandoned elsewhere in the city with bullet holes in the hood, which they say were consistent with shots being fired over the hood. Police report that Buckanaga's vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree after she was hit, and that the shell casings and recovered weapons were critical in tying suspects to the scene.
Legal implications
Johnson is charged under Minnesota's murder‑in‑the‑second‑degree statute, Minn. Stat. § 609.19, which allows for penalties of up to 40 years in prison for some second‑degree murder offenses. The statute covers intentional killings without premeditation as well as certain killings connected to drive‑by or felony conduct, and the case is set to be prosecuted in Hennepin County District Court. The statutory language is available from the state revisor's office.
Court records currently list no attorney for Johnson, and prosecutors say review of the case remains ongoing as pretrial steps begin. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the 2020 shooting to contact Minneapolis police or CrimeStoppers as the investigation continues.
