NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jillian Johnson's Facebook profile reads "Remembering Jillian Johnson" as friends, old and new, have posted their favorite memories and moments with her, many of which come from Nashville.
Johnson was a 2000 graduate of Hillwood High School where she played volleyball. After graduating she attended Belmont University for two years to study design communications.
In Lafayette, Louisiana she was known as a creative force and helped organize a music festival and co-owned a clothing and art boutique with her husband. Her family released the following statement:
“Our hearts are shattered. We will love you forever. She was a once-in-a-lifetime gal. A mother, daughter, sister and a truly exceptional wife. She was an artist, a musician, an entrepreneur and a true renaissance woman. She was the love of my life and I will miss her always.
Thank you all for your kind words and offers of support. Our family is together now to mourn our loss. We would appreciate privacy during this time but your messages on outlets like this truly mean the world to us.
Our thoughts are with the family of Mayci Breaux. We mourn with you. And finally our thoughts and prayers are with Jillian's best friend, who was in the theater with her at the time of the shooting. We love you and we’re wishing you the best! This was a senseless act and, as is the case with all such acts, there is no playbook, no rules on how to cope. We’re trying our best to pull ourselves together. We’re putting one foot in front of the other. Thank you all. If you have a thought or memory you’d love to share, feel free to do so here or Facebook. Red Arrow will be closed until further notice. Thank you all for your support and understanding.”
Johnson and Mayci Breaux, age 21, were killed when police said John Houser, age 59, opened fire inside the movie theater they were in. Investigators spent the day piecing together the events that unfolded Thursday.
"They are being deliberately slow and methodical," said Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft.
Authorities now believe Houser had a history of mental illness. Court documents showed his wife believed he was so dangerous she removed all the guns from their home.
"We believe in talking to the family, talking to the friends, trying to look at his writings on the internet and putting some parts and pieces together, maybe we can figure out what caused him to do it," said Michael Edmonson with the LA State Police.
Questions remained unanswered while communities form Louisiana to Nashville mourned the loss of two women gone too soon.
Officials with Belmont University released the following statement;
“As many of you may have heard, our nation experienced another devastating shooting incident last night in Lafayette, Louisiana. I’m sad to inform you that this tragedy hits close to home. A member of the Belmont family, Jillian Johnson, has been identified this morning as one of the victims. Jillian graduated from Nashville’s Hillwood High School in 2000 and attended Belmont from 2000-2002, studying Design Communications.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends, as well as with the loved ones of Mayci Breaux, who was also killed, and all of those injured.”
