CHULA VISTA, Calif. — It started as a night out bowling with friends.
It ended in gunfire.
For the families of 15-year-old Donnell Davis and 16-year-old Brandon Johnson, more than 16 years have passed since the teens were shot and killed as they rode in the backseat of their friend's car on State Route 54 on March 16, 2008, in Bonita.
Since the shooting, family members of Donnell Davis and Brandon Johnson have been forced to live without knowing who shot and killed the teens that night and, more importantly, been forced to live knowing their killer or killers still roam free.
A Night Out Bowling
On Sunday, March 16, 2008, Donnell Davis and Brandon Johnson, along with two other Lincoln High students, went to what was then Brunswick Lanes bowling alley at approximately 10:30 p.m. to meet up with friends.
They did not know that two groups of young men were in an altercation half an hour earlier outside the bowling alley.
When Davis, Johnson, and the other Lincoln High students arrived, there was not anyone there to hang out with so the teens decided to go to another bowling alley in El Cajon.
As they left Brunswick Lanes parking lot they noticed a car following them but didn't think anything of it.
"When they left, they were followed by another car with people inside who were involved in the altercation, likely seeking some sort of retaliation," said Sergeant Tim Chantler, head of the cold case unit for the Sheriff's Department.
The Shooting
With Davis and Johnson in the backseat of their friend, Bryson Merriweather's grey Acura sedan, the teens headed east on State Route 54.
As they passed the Briarwood Avenue exit, the car that was following them approached and opened fire. Sheriffs estimate as many as 10 rounds were recovered from the car and the freeway.
The bullets struck the Acura, hitting Davis and Johnson in the backseat as well as striking the driver Merriweather. After getting shot, Merriweather lost control of the car and the small grey Acura flipped over.
Davis and Johnson died from gunshot wounds. Merriweather survived the shooting as well as the car crash.
The shooter, nor the car they were in, was ever found.
Sergeant Chantler says the department has received a generic description of the car but they are unable to comment on they type of car to preserve the investigation.
"We've had a lot of tips over the years. A lot of it is rumors from the street including gang-related rumors, but there is not enough information to make an arrest or establish probable cause to focus our investigation on any one person," said Sergeant Chantler.
The possibility of the shooters having ties to local gangs has worked against cold case detectives looking to solve the case.
Added Chantler, "It's very difficult. People who are involved in gangs don't talk, and sometimes when they do, we have to concern ourselves with their motives. Also, in this case, this was on the freeway. So we don't have any witnesses. We don't have security cameras like we would have if it happened in the parking lot. So that all makes it very, very difficult to focus your investigation on any specific person."
Chantler told CBS 8 the department must then depend on community members or those with information about the shooting to come forward.
Crime Stoppers is still offering $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
In the meantime, the families of Donnell Davis and Brandon Johnson, both football players for Lincoln High, continue to prod the Sheriff's Department to solve the case and bring justice for their sons.
Family members, who declined to go on camera for an interview, expressed frustration over the department's inability to make an arrest and bring justice for the murderer or murderers who killed Davis and Johnson.
Sergeant Chantler understands their frustration and stresses the importance for the public to come forward with leads.
"These four kids were doing what any normal teenager would do, go out, meet some friends, hang out at a bowling alley," said Sergeant Chantler. "And, for no reason, they end up getting shot and two of them killed. It is heartbreaking, especially for the parents because there's no explanation. It never goes away for them and never will."
Sergeant Chantler and his team ask that anyone with information to contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers.