Just before the start of a new semester, an unsolved murder near the University of North Texas in Denton has some students on edge.
Police say Cory Johnson, 43, was found shot after 10 p.m. Wednesday in his apartment in the 1000 block of Eagle Drive. He later died.
Those who knew Johnson describe him as a kind, hard worker who kept to himself.
“It’s weird and scary because it is right below us,” said Destiny, a UNT student who lives above Johnson’s apartment.
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Thursday, Denton police were seen coming in and out of Johnson’s apartment which was surrounded by crime scene tape.
“He seemed really nice, quiet,” said Destiny.
She says Johnson moved in downstairs not long ago and had a good soul.
“He went to the food bank, and had, like, too much food and let me have some and put more out in the laundry for other people,” she recalled.
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Destiny says she was at home watching TV around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday when she and her roommate heard multiple gunshots.
“We got down on the floor and we were freaking out and we went to our rooms, came back out 10 minutes later and the cops were around, and we knew it was serious,” said Destiny.
Denton police say they responded to a 911 call about possible gunfire and found Johnson's apartment door slightly ajar.
“They approached that door and they called out to see if there were any potential occupants inside and they did hear a response from somebody asking for help,” explained Denton Police Officer Allison Beckwith.
Beckwith says officers began life-saving measures before Johnson was rushed to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at 11:57 p.m., police said.
“I can confirm right now that we were able to speak with him briefly prior to him being transported but I can’t go into the details right now about what our officer was able to speak with him about,” said Beckwith.
Beckwith told NBC 5 there's no reason to believe there's a larger threat to the public and offered some reassurance.
“We are working diligently to solve this case and have a great team on the case working to find out what happened,” she said.
It’s a question those who knew Johnson want answered.
NBC 5 spoke with one of Johnson's coworkers who showed up at the scene, shocked after learning of the murder. He said Johnson worked in food services at the University of North Texas and was at work Wednesday - hours before the murder - preparing for the spring semester.
“I just hope they find the person, honestly. This is ridiculous,” said Destiny.
As of Thursday night, no arrests had been made and no suspects had been named.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Det. Tommy Potts at 940-349-8144 or provide an anonymous tip to Denton County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-388-TIPS.
