The location where Camoflauge was shot dead

This is the location where Camoflauge was shot dead.

It is situated on the corner of West 37th Street and Florance Street in Savannah, Georgia.

The regionally famous rapper, whose real name was Jason Johnson, was best known for releasing the songs "Laying My Stunt Down" and "Cut Friends".

In the months leading up to his death, there was a widely held belief that the 21-year-old was about to "break out" and achieve national stardom.

Sadly, it wasn't to be.

Despite his growing success, he remained affiliated with local gang members. Furthermore, disputes and vendettas from his past were still lurking in the shadows.

On May 19th, 2003, Camoflauge was fatally shot in the head while he was holding his infant son outside of his recording studio, Pure Pain Records.

Fortunately, his son was not harmed during the incident.

This was not the first time that Camoflauge was targeted, as he had received minor injuries in a previous shooting in September of 2002.

It seems likely that the up-and-coming rapper was killed in retaliation for a prior incident. Notably, one of his friends had been gunned down just a few days earlier.

In 2000, Camoflauge and another man named James "Murdock" Ferguson were charged with the murder of 17-year-old Kenneth Capers. However, both men were released three months later after a grand jury failed to indict them.

Investigators believe that Camoflauge and Ferguson were members of a Hitch Village gang that was heavily involved in the drug trade. According to the police, this gang and its enemies were involved in a cycle of tit-for-tat violence that had been plaguing the city of Savannah for years.

In January of 2007, Ferguson was also shot dead. Although a man named James Nathan Johnson was charged with the killing, he was later released due to a lack of evidence.

The murders of both Jason "Camoflauge" Johnson and James "Murdock" Ferguson remain unsolved to this day.

It is unlikely that their killers will ever face justice.

Further information is available in the "Photos" section below.

Photos

Photos of the studio and other related images.

Pure Pain Records

Image source: Google Maps

Pure Pain Records was situated at 703 West 37th Street in Savannah.

These days, the building is vacant and in a state of disrepair. It was acquired by the city of Savannah in 2006. Since then, parts of the exterior wall have crumbled away.

Mural

The side of the building contains a mural that is dedicated to Camoflauge.

It reads:

"If he would have put the gun down, then he would have been here right now!"

The quote is reportedly from his daughter, Flau'jae Johnson, who is now a college basketball player and rapper. Sadly, Camoflauge never got to meet Flau'jae, as he was gunned down six months before she was born.

Murder

This is a "then and now" image of the crime scene.

At the time of Camoflauge's murder, the adjoining grocery store was called Value King. These days, the building is home to Yash Food Mart.

When the police arrived, they found the 21-year-old lying face down in the eastbound lane of West 37th Street. He was breathing but not conscious.

According to the police report, he was covered by a camouflage blanket and bleeding profusely from the mouth and nose.

The rapper had been shot in the head in broad daylight with a large-caliber weapon while he was holding his 16-month-old son.

When emergency medical services reached the scene, they transported him to Memorial Health University on Waters Avenue, where he was later pronounced dead.

Camoflauge's murder occurred during a bloody Memorial Day weekend in Savannah. Between May 16th and May 20th, 2003, four men were gunned down, including the rapper.

Significantly, the police said that all four victims knew each other.

Crime scene

Judging by crime scene photographs and police reports, Camoflauge was found fatally wounded at this section of the road.

The shooting took place just a few feet away from the entrance to Pure Pain Records.