Shooting Victim Cooperated in Murder-For-Hire Case

Gunman kills beauty salon owner involved in murder case last month

A beauty salon owner killed by a lone gunman Thursday afternoon was reportedly involved in a recent murder-for-hire case.

Antoinetta Johnson, 34, was working on a client at her Vision of Beauty salon in Gary when a man wearing a hoodie walked in at 1 p.m. and shot her three times in the face and upper body. The shooter didn't say or steal anything after the shooting, according to witnesses, and is still on the loose.

According to the Post-Tribune, Johnson was involved in a murder-for-hire case last month, but was not charged because she cooperated with police.

Dontaye Singletary faces murder charges for the shooting death of 72-year-old Carl Griffith, Sr. outside his Portage home on November 1.

The newspaper reports it was Antoinetta Johnson who introduced Singletary to her friend, Sheaurice Major, who wanted Griffith dead.

After connecting the two, court records show Johnson also reportedly drove Singletary to and from the crime scene, and later delivered a sealed package with $200 for committing the murder.

Investigators would not confirm Thursday whether last month's murder-for-hire case played a role in Johnson's killing Thursday.

Johnson's friends and family gathered outside the salon after the shooting, and described the married mother of three as someone who worked hard to open her own business five years ago.

"That was my confidant, when I had problems, that's who I'd call, that's who I go to for everything," the victim's cousin, who asked not to be identified, told NBC5. "I don't know what to do, she's not here anymore. Whoever did it, I don't understand why, she didn't deserve it."

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