Greenville, MS— District Attorney W. Dewayne Richardson announced today the guilty plea of Fabulous Carter, 21, for the fatal shooting of LaQuint “Quint” Johnson. Instead of pursuing a trial on the charge of Capital Murder, Carter pled guilty to the lesser-included offense of Second Degree Murder recently in Washington County Circuit Court. Under the terms of the plea, Carter was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
LaQuint “Quint” Johnson was a son, brother, nephew, friend, colleague, and beloved member of our community who had just celebrated his 21st birthday on January 6, 2021. Nearly three weeks later on January 26, 2021, Quint Johnson met his demise at the hands of Fabulous Carter, who was 19 years old at the time.
Around 11:22 a.m., the Greenville Police Department was dispatched to the 300 block of Beauchamp Avenue. Upon arrival, officers talked to a witness who described hearing a knock at his door before discovering Quint Johnson in dire need of medical attention. While waiting on the ambulance, the witness assisted Quint Johnson to the bed of his pickup truck and transported him to the emergency room.
The witness showed officers a turquoise 9mm firearm and a set of keys Quint Johnson left at his doorstep and a white Toyota 4 Runner parked in a nearby alley. Officers discovered a gold 9mm shell casing on the ground near the driver side door and two gold 9mm shell casings on the floorboard of the passenger backseat area. While collecting evidence, officers were notified of a second shot person near the 300 block of Poplar Street. There, they found Fabulous Carter with a gunshot wound to his right knee. Further investigation revealed that Carter phoned a friend after the shooting who picked Carter up near McCoy’s hardware store and transported Carter to Poplar Street. The friend advised Carter to go to the hospital, but Carter refused and confessed to his friend that he had just shot someone.
Carter was arrested and treated at the local hospital where Quint Johnson was in critical condition with three gunshot wounds—one to his right rib cage area, one in his right hip, and one in his right knee. Quint Johnson advised that an “Irving Carter” shot him before succumbing to his injuries.
Fabulous Irving Carter later admitted to fostering a romantic relationship with Quint Johnson via Facebook Messenger for the sole purpose of robbing him. Carter described arranging a meeting with Quint Johnson, and once they were parked in the alley behind Beauchamp, Carter pulled his firearm and attempted to rob Quint Johnson. Carter confessed to shooting Quint Johnson multiple times, and as Quint Johnson struggled to retrieve the firearm, Carter was shot in his right leg. Carter told police that he intended to chase Quint Johnson after he fled the car but was unable to because he’d also been shot in the leg.
When faced with a Capital Murder indictment and the State of Mississippi’s unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for Quint Johnson, Carter finally elected to accept accountability.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Laura K. Cooper. Attorney Cooper sends her condolences to Quint Johnson’s family and friends. “It takes a certain evil to feign interest in someone just to ambush and hurt them. Fabulous Carter has already outlived his victim. He made a dangerous plan and executed it. Now he has to live with the consequences.”
The Office of the District Attorney is deeply appreciative for the cooperation of the forthcoming witnesses and for the countless hours and work conducted by the Greenville Police Department, our local hospital, and our state crime labs and medical examiners.