Redmond father, 18-year-old son arrested in drive-by shooting of NW Redmond man in victim’s driveway

(Update: Details of father, son's arrest; adding victim's name)

K-9 Ronin deployed when father refuses to comply with commands

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Redmond man and his 18-year-old son have been arrested on attempted murder and other charges in the drive-by shooting of a 42-year-old Redmond man in the victim’s driveway, police said Tuesday. They noted it took the bite of a Deschutes County K-9 to take the father into custody.

Officers responded around 7:30 a.m. Monday to the reported shooting in the 1900 block of Northwest Cedar Avenue, Lieutenant Jesse Petersen said.

Witnesses said a black passenger car drove by a residence, stopped and a person inside the car fired several gunshots at a man in the driveway, then fled the scene, police said.

Redmond Police and Fire and Rescue personnel provided emergency first aid to the man, who was taken to St. Charles Bend with life-threatening injuries, the lieutenant said.

Bend police found the vehicle suspected of involvement in the shooting, a black 2013 Honda Civic, later Monday in the area of NE First Street and Greenwood Avenue, Petersen said.

The Tri-County Major Incident Team identified the suspects as Mark Johnson, 45, and his son, Iceton Johnson, 18, both of Redmond. A court filing identifies the victim as Esaui John Mutchler.

Around 7:30 p.m. Monday, the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT) executed a search warrant at the Johnsons’ home in Redmond, finding no one home, the lieutenant said.

Around 10 p.m., a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy spotted Mark Johnson’s Ford F-150 pickup in Sisters, Petersen said.

As the father, who was driving and accompanied by his son, headed west on Highway 20 near Black Butte Ranch, a Black Butte officer successfully deployed spike strips, deflating tires on the pickup, the lieutenant said.

DCSO deputies conducted a high-risk (guns drawn) stop of the pickup, Petersen said, and Iceton Johnson was compliant as deputies took him into custody.

His father, however, refused to obey deputies’ commands, Petersen said, so DCSO K-9 Ronin “was deployed and assisted with taking Mark Johnson into custody.”

Mark Johnson was taken by Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire medics to St. Charles Redmond for treatment before he joined his son at the county jail in Bend. Both men faced charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person.

Iceton Johnson made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon on three initial, formal charges, which did not include the recklessly endangering charge police listed in his arrest. He is scheduled to be back in court next Wednesday on an expected formal indictment.

No information has been released regarding a motive in the shooting, or any relationship between the suspects and victim.

"RPD would like to thank the community members who have provided witness statements and video surveillance of the suspect vehicle," Petersen said in Tuesday's update. "Information provided by community members helped police identify and ultimately locate the suspect vehicle and suspects." 

"RPD would also like to thank members of MIT, CERT, and Sisters-Camp-Sherman Fire District for their assistance with this case.  MIT and CERT personnel were instrumental in the success of investigating this case," he added.

Neighbors said there have been police calls to the home for issues like cars speeding down the street, but police couldn't confirm those details amid the ongoing investigation.

Petersen said Redmond Police want to thank Redmond Fire and Rescue, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department, Oregon State Police and other MIT partners for responding and assisting with the case.

Two commenters on the police posting said their children's preschool had just gone into lockdown.