13 years later, family of man shot in Fayetteville barber shop gathers again seeking answers

Creg Johnson, 38, was shot to death on Nov. 20, 2005, and police have still not made an arrest.

On Tuesday, the 13th anniversary of his death, Johnson's family and detectives with the Fayetteville Police Department will return to the Line Up Barber Shop on Yadkin Road -- where Johnson was found -- to distribute flyers in hopes of generating information that leads to an arrest.

According to police, Johnson was last seen alive cutting hair at the barber shop around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2005. His body was found in the shop the next morning.

Johnson was known to work late, but family said he wouldn't have let someone inside he didn't know.

His family members say Johnson was a loving person with a generous heart who would often give free haircuts to people who couldn't afford them.

"I would have thought that someone would have been arrested by now," said Johnson's aunt, Linda Thomas.

Johnson's parents died when he was young, and his aunt and uncle practically raised him. Thomas said she can never forget the rainy day in 2005 standing outside the barbershop.

"The police were in the barbershop, and we couldn't do anything but stand here … in disbelief," she said.

w.

Fellow barber Lawrence Mason still cuts hair at the Line Up Barber Shop – two chairs down from where Johnson used to work. Mason said he saw Johnson hours before he was killed and hopes the annual effort to generate leads in the case finally yields dividends.

"Creg was a good guy. He cared about people," he said. "The family needs closure."

Johnson's family and local officials are offering a combined reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective D. Johnson with the Fayetteville Police Department at 910-224-3257 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477.