Suffolk church makes ‘Prom US’ to Alaejah

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – The Mount Suffolk has made a ‘Prom US’ to honor the life of 22-year-old Alaejah Johnson, who was killed in late February after being struck by bullets that tore through her home.

Her parents, Mary and Rashed, set up a memorial outside of their home on Allard Road as a call for people to come forward with tips.

“The outpouring of love and support that we’ve been getting through this tragedy has been tremendous,” (Rashed Johnson said), “and it’s just a testament to who she was, the type of energy that she was putting out into this world. We’ve really been appreciative of what everyone has done.”

On February 27, her brother’s 17th birthday, Alaejah was helping her dad Rashed bring in the birthday cake and groceries.

“In normal Lejah fashion [she said], ‘Thank you Daddy.’ Just the small things that she was so appreciative of, that we sometimes take for granted,” he said.

Then several rounds of shots tore through the family’s home.

“She was standing in the hallway and that’s when the shots came through the wall,” said her mom, Mary Johnson. “Everything happened so fast.”

“The shots come in and it hits her in the… head,” said her dad. “She was already hit, then another wave of shots came.”

Her family is holding on to the hope that someone will come forward with answers. Now, the Mount in Suffolk has joined the family in the plea for answers.

Alaejah and her dad went to the ‘new beginnings’ special needs prom last June.
“We had a great time,” said Rashed Johnson. “She loved it! She was the life of the party. My wife did her makeup, put on the dress, did the curls!”

The organizer of the event, The Mount Suffolk Pastor Karl Wilkins, will dedicate the 2023 prom to Alaejah.

“We wanted to honor her by changing the theme of our prom to ‘PROM us,’ which means that we make a vow in this moment that every time we do this we guarantee,” Wilkins said, “or we promise to make this a night to remember.”

Wilkins said her family will always have a table at the dance.

“We hope to bring awareness to gun violence in the city,” Wilkins said. “Out of this story, we’re hoping that somebody will see it and their hearts will be moved to do the right thing.”

They will have a moment of silence during the event.

“You could never forget the smile of Alaejah,” Wilkins said. “This is a legacy of a young lady who is well-deserving of it. She impacted all of us.”

Her dad calls her an angel, put here to push limits.

“She was put here for [a] purpose and to show us how to be special, how to love in that genuine way,” he said. “The outpouring of love and support that we’ve been getting through this tragedy has been tremendous, and it’s just a testament to who she was, the type of energy that she was putting out into this world. We’ve really been appreciative of everything and everyone.”