FM gunshot victim dies; warrant for murder issued against Lewisville gunman

UPDATE 3: A Flower Mound man, critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head while on his way to work Sept. 23, has died.

Verland Scott Johansen, 65,  who had been in critical condition at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, died Sept. 26, said Lewisville Police Captain Kevin Deaver

Johansen was shot while driving his car on the Interstate 35E service road by a Lewisville man who was brandishing a gun while arguing with his ex-wife, according to police.

Stephen Bielicke, 53, of Lewisville was transferred to Denton County Jail where he currently remains in custody. Deaver said police delivered a warrant for the charge of murder to Denton County Jail. Bond for that charge was set at $500,000.  Police will drop the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Deaver said. A bond of $10,000 had been set for a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon on alcohol premises.

A note from Tony Johansen, son of Scott Johansen, includes the following:

“I thank you all for your support and love. Sadly my father passed away this afternoon. Please know that my mother is deeply moved by everyone’s generosity and words could not express the gratitude and love she feels on her heart for all of you.”

A call for donations to assist the family with medical expenses was set up on YouCaring.com. As of Friday evening, residents had donated $5,045, far surpassing an initial goal of $1,200. Many left notes offering their thoughts and prayers.

What happened:

A Lewisville police officer’s quick thinking tied a highway shooting to a report of a man brandishing a weapon at convenience stores

Officer Duk Lee was responding to a call from a convenience store clerk about 45 minutes after police first learned of the service road shooting and were beginning to investigate. Lee talked to a clerk in the 100 block of East Corporate about a man brandishing a gun and threatening people. As the suspect left the store, the alert clerk noted the license plate number and relayed it to police.

Lee then went to the address where the vehicle registration showed the owner lived – at the 2300 block of San Jacinto Drive. When he arrived, Lee noted a man matching the suspect’s description and talked to him. The man admitted he had a gun inside his small SUV but refused to allow officers to retrieve it, according to a news release.

Detective Brad Kenney interviewed witness at the store and gathered information to obtain an arrest warrant as well as a search warrant. Police found a semi-automatic firearm inside the SUV as well as ammunition that matched shell casing found at the highway shooting.

Bielicke was arrested for unlawful carrying of a weapon on alcohol premises.

Meanwhile, other Lewisville officers continued to search the the service road for evidence after police received a call at 10:34 p.m. to what was then believed to be a major accident rescue in the 200 block of South I-35E northbound. When officers arrived, they discovered the driver of the car had been shot. Rochelle noted the car had several bullet holes on the side of it.

Johansen was first taken to the Medical Center of Lewisville for treatment before being transported by air to Baylor.

Several witnesses told police that someone in a small SUV-type vehicle was shooting at Johansen’s car when Johansen veered over the grass onto the highway, hitting the center guardrail. Witnesses told police the suspect fled the scene.

Police later learned the suspect apparently drove arround Lewisville for awhile from one convenience store to the next, calling his ex-wife from store phones or pay phones, threatening to kill her and other members of her household, according to reports.

At the different stores, the suspect appeared to confront strangers including at one location in the 1700 block of East Texas 121 where witnesses say they saw the suspect confront Johansen and was seen screaming at him.

According to the release, police say they do not believe the suspect and Johansen knew each other and do not believe Johansen did anything to gain the suspect’s attention.

Johansen was on his way to work at the time of the attack, according to the report.

Detective Scott Kelly was later able to obtain a warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Capt. Dan Rochelle said police worked together as a team and were up all night as well as most of Wednesday, handling the multiple incidents and number of potential crime scenes.

“They’ve done a great job,” he said.

He singled out Lee for realizing the two incidents might be related.

“It was an excellent job of a patrol officer making the connections of what he had,” Rochelle said.