WESTFIELD, N.Y. (WKBW) — Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office says Jahmaul W. Johnson of Westfield has been charged with second-degree attempted murder, multiple weapons charges, and multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the DA's Office, Westfield Village Police received two 911 calls around 7:30 p.m. on March 7, after a woman was shot in her chest. One call came from the woman, and the other came from her children, who allegedly witnessed the shooting.
The DA's Office says she was taken to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she is now recovering from her injuries. Johnson left the scene and led police on a pursuit. He was arrested after crashing into a ditch.
"Our immediate concern was for the public's safety once the victim was in transit to the hospital, and we secured the scene for later processing," Chief Karlstrom said in a release. "The Westfield Village community is far from asleep on a Saturday night. Between our restaurants and bar businesses, we have a fairly active nightlife Friday and Saturday evenings, in which we play host not just to Village and local residents, but to patrons coming from across and even outside the county. Our number one priority was to find the individual responsible for the shooting, who we believed was still armed, and secure him into custody before anyone else could be hurt."
Johnson pleaded not guilty, according to the DA. He faces up to 25 years on the attempted murder charge and up to 15 years on the weapons charges, with the possibility that these terms will run consecutively. His bail is set at $1,000,000 cash or $2,000,000 property bond.
