Chicago shooting: Family identifies tow truck driver killed in Roseland shooting on South Lowe Avenue as Dexter Johnson, father of three

CHICAGO (WLS) — The family has identified the Chicago tow truck driver who was killed in a shooting on the Far South Side early Wednesday morning.

Dexter Johnson’s mother can’t understand why he was killed at work.

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The 59-year-old was Sallie Johnson’s only child.

A few weeks ago he was on holiday at Niagara Falls.

But on Wednesday morning, he was fatally shot in a shootout over a towed vehicle.

“I just lost control. I think I probably screamed for an hour or more,” Johnson said.

Johnson had lived with his mother in Auburn Gresham for over 40 years. For much of that time, he had been a tow truck driver. Despite the risks involved, it was a job he loved.

“He made an intervention. He told me many times. He just got back in the car. He called the police. When it was dangerous, he got out of the way. He didn’t want confrontations with anyone. He was protecting himself,” his mother said.

Johnson was described as an avid motorcyclist who loved to travel. He was also the father of three grown children and a grandfather. In two weeks the family would travel to Arkansas for his grandmother’s 102nd birthday.

“We were expecting this big celebration. But now we have two celebrations. It’s hard to cope with,” said his mother.

Police responded to the 11300 block of South Lowe Avenue around 2:29 a.m. Wednesday.

Officers found Johnson with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 45-year-old man was shot multiple times and taken to Advocate Christ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The identity of the 45-year-old has not yet been established.

According to investigators, there was an exchange of gunfire between the two men.

A video from the scene of the accident showed the tow truck in the process of hooking up a vehicle.

Residents of the area were awakened by arguments and gunshots.

“The tow truck driver was out here trying to do his job. He was careful not to touch his car. After a few minutes, all I heard was gunshots,” said a witness who wished to remain anonymous.

The 45-year-old man owned the car and had lived in the block for a long time.

He lived alone.

Neighbors said the vehicle had been secured with a wheel clamp the night before.

“I heard a warning shot. Then I heard about two shots. After that I heard about four shots. He was just doing his job. That’s all I can say, he was just doing his job,” the witness said.

Some of the tow truck driver’s co-workers who were on the scene after the shooting said he had been hired by the city as a subcontractor to tow the car.

“They’re gone. My son is gone. The car is, I guess, gone. Two families are destroyed. It’s going to take a long time to get over this. I don’t think we’ll ever get over it,” said Sallie Johnson.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation declined to confirm this due to the ongoing police investigation.

Chicago police have also not confirmed the circumstances of the shooting.

Detectives from Area Two are investigating.

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