YCSO ARRESTS CORDES LAKES MAN FOR ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE
Published on November 15, 2022
YCSO ARRESTS MAN FOR ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE IN CORDES LAKES
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA - (November 15, 2022 ) On Saturday November 12th at approximately 1:15 p.m. YCSO deputies responded to a 911 call that a woman had been shot at a residence located on Marble Canyon Way in Cordes Lakes. Preliminary information was that the woman, 43 years old who lives next door to the alleged assailant, went to his residence to inform him that his dog was loose. The suspect, Joshua Johnson, 31 years old, shot her in the neck while she was trying to speak with him. The victim was able to take cover behind a large tree trimming truck with the help of some of her neighbors.
After shooting the first victim, the suspect entered his house and shot at his wife, holding her against her will as she tried to escape the situation with their 18-month-old child.
The first two YCSO deputies on the scene were able to rescue the first victim with the help of two nearby men who are working in the area; one deputy transporting the victim to the nearby community center and the other holding a perimeter with the help of an Arizona DPS Trooper. The YCSO SWAT team responded and took over the scene due to the suspect barricading himself in his home with his wife and child.
A YCSO 911 dispatch operator was able to engage the suspect on the phone, communicating with him until he agreed to leave his house and surrender. The shooting victim was flown to Deer Valley Hospital with a gunshot wound to her neck, and was released from the hospital that evening.
The suspect admitted to his crimes, saying he was “getting the devil out of both victims.” He has been booked on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, attempted homicide per domestic violence, two counts of kidnapping per domestic violence, and two counts of disorderly conduct per domestic violence.