A man from Texas is currently in custody following a deliberate shooting on a bustling highway that resulted in the death of a pregnant woman, according to local law enforcement. Malik Miner, aged 29, is facing charges including first-degree murder, deadly conduct, and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as reported by the Arlington Police Department.
The incident took place in early November on a section of Interstate 20 in Arlington, the third-largest city in the expansive Metroplex region of North Texas. On the day of the incident, 29-year-old Bre’Asia Johnson was heading westbound towards Bowman Springs Road when the gunfire erupted.
Johnson’s boyfriend, who was driving the car, immediately pulled over at a QuikTrip gas station on Little Road to dial 911. Both Johnson and her boyfriend were hit by the gunfire, while two children in the vehicle escaped serious injury. Johnson was declared dead at the scene shortly before 8 p.m., while her boyfriend was transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
Investigators later confirmed that Johnson, found unresponsive in the front passenger seat of her boyfriend’s car, was pregnant. Tragically, her unborn child also lost its life due to the shooting. One of the children in the car was hit by falling glass from a shattered window, as per an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by a Dallas-based ABC affiliate.
Another vehicle was also struck by the gunfire, but it is believed to be unrelated to the incident. The occupants of this vehicle were unharmed. A search of the highway revealed two different caliber shell casings used in the shooting.
During the investigation, law enforcement identified Miner as the suspect through witness interviews and surveillance footage. Detectives concluded that the shooting was a targeted attack, not a result of road rage. They discovered that Miner had previously been in a romantic relationship with Johnson and had ongoing disputes with her current boyfriend, a 28-year-old man.
A search warrant was executed on Miner’s residence, leading to the seizure of several items, including his cellphone. A review of the digital data allegedly revealed prior communication between Miner and Johnson’s boyfriend. Detectives also compared cellphone location records from Miner’s and Johnson’s phones. The data not only placed Miner at the crime scene during the shooting but also showed his movements mirrored Johnson’s in the minutes leading up to the incident, suggesting Miner had been following the victims’ vehicle that night. Miner declined to comment to law enforcement following his arrest.