"It was a horrible way that she passed": Detroit bartender killed by stray bullet, mom grieves
(CBS DETROIT) – A vigil is set for Monday evening on the city's west side for a bartender killed by a stray bullet over the weekend.
At 7 p.m., family and friends of Alexandria Johnson will gather outside "Sloppy Chops" on West McNichols Road and Littlefield St.
The restaurant plans to remain closed while they grieve. This act of senseless violence has shattered them and Johnson's mother, Charlotte Johnson.
"People call me or text me; they have no words because they don't understand it either," Charlotte Johnson said.
On Friday, Charlotte spoke with her daughter to start to make plans for both their birthdays in November.
But a few hours later, around midnight, she received a gut-wrenching call that some horrible had happened at her daughter's job.
"I just can't wrap my head around what's going on," Charlotte Johnson said.
While Alexandria was bartending inside Sloppy Chops, Detroit police say a group outside began shooting.
The gunfire wounded two men and pierced one of the restaurant's windows.
That stray bullet, her mom says, hit Alexandria in the head.
"Maybe she wasn't your intended target. But you should not have had a gun; you should not have been trying to solve whatever problems you were having with that pistol and killing somebody else," Charlotte Johnson said.
She says her daughter, whom she adopted at three months, died doing what she loved.
Although the Southfield High School graduate never went to bartending school, she honed her skills at different restaurants and had plans to start her own business.
"She was just outgoing. She attracted people into her life and friendships, and they stayed there," Charlotte Johnson said.
As homicide detectives search for whoever pulled the trigger, Charlotte is making plans for a funeral at Detroit's Unity Baptist Church, where Alexandria was baptized.
"It was a horrible way that she passed, and that's going to be with me, you know, for the rest of my life. But hopefully, they will catch the people that caused her injury and caused her death," Charlotte Johnson said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police, or you can remain anonymous by calling 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
