The parents of a 19-year-old man shot and killed on an east Texas highway are looking for answers, as police have no leads.
Cody Walker Johnson was fatally shot Friday night while driving westbound on a freeway in Katy, about an hour west of Houston, according to the Harris County Sherriff's Office. First responders airlifted him to Memorial Hermann Hospital Medical Center, where medical personnel pronounced him dead upon arrival.
As of Thursday afternoon, no motive has been determined and the identity of the shooter remains unknown, the sheriff's office confirmed to USA TODAY.
The newly-fledged car salesman left his mother's home in Missouri City Friday night heading out on a 50 minute drive to pick up his girlfriend from work when the shooting occurred, according to his parents. With only traffic counting cameras placed at the scene, there was no surveillance footage of what happened.
For Cody's father Mike Johnson and his mother Amy Juneau, the insurmountable pain of losing a child is only heightened by the burden of piecing together what happened that night.
"I wouldn't wish the stuff that we're going through on my worst enemy," Cody's father Mike Johnson told USA TODAY Thursday. "Not having any answers, not even inklings of answers."
Cody, who often went by the nickname Cojo, is survived by his older brother Mickey, his girlfriend and an entire community he's touched with unconditional warmth and his self-assured spirit. Amy said "he was the sweetest, nicest, kindest kid who was a friend to everybody" and built a reputation as a "wild child" who lived without fear.
Disciplined about fitness, loved ones could always count on him being at the gym everyday, with Mike Johnson adding that he once found him working out with friends for four hours straight.
"He was just being Cody. He walked up to complete strangers. That boy had no fear at all. He would walk up to the most beautiful girl in the place and pretty much they would be best friends by the end of the conversation," Mike Johnson said.
An avid sports enthusiast, he was part of a local baseball team and would often umpire for the little league. He stopped playing and going to the gym, however, after a June motorcycle incident injured his arm.
A tribute honoring Cody was held at the Alphaland gym in Missouri City on Wednesday.
Having graduated high school in May, Cody initially committed to study at Texas State University, but his heart was not in it. After picking his dorm room and attending student orientation in June, Cody told his parents that what he really wanted to do was sell cars.
He carried an unwavering passion for cars and motorcycles from childhood into adulthood, having been involved in clubs with fellow vehicle enthusiasts.
"I think he knew his path when he was two years old. He was playing Hot Wheels for hours by himself. It's always just been part of his who he is," Mike said.
He had begun a position as a car salesman the week of the incident.
"He just decided to pick different path and he was happy about it. He was going to start a job selling cars and that's what he loved. That was his passion," Amy said. "His friends all came out to the gym from those different backgrounds. Everybody had a different way of knowing Cody, but they all loved him."
Amidst a time defined by grief and anguish, Cody's family has been treated to an outpouring of support by people who have not left Mike or Amy's side.
"I know I wouldn't make it, and I know [Mike] wouldn't make it without the support of our friends, our family, the community, anyone who knew Cody," Amy said. "We're finding out people who we didn't even know knew Cody. If we can find comfort out of anything it's how many people Cody, in his 19 years, how many lives he affected in a positive way."
With an abundance of support, what Mike, Amy and the rest of Cody's family need are answers.
"This is a kid who everybody loved. Just this senseless tragedy of someone who would just take away his life in an instant, there's no understanding of it," Amy said.
Anyone with information regarding Cody's death is urged to contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100 or the Crime Stoppers unit at 713-222-8477.
A press conference will be held in Houston Friday morning, the same day Amy and Mike will see their son's body. Cody's memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12.
