After jump

Gannon Johnson helped jump-start the car of a longtime friend Leon Ruffin Jr. on July 9. Moments later, authorities say, Ruffin shot Johnson five times outside Johnson's Avondale home.

A home surveillance camera system was recording as Johnson, 53, removed the jumper cables from his and Ruffin's vehicles and dropped them to the ground, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Detective Steven Keller.

"The perpetrator then produced a firearm for an unknown reason and then shot Mr. Johnson multiple times in his body. He approached and shot him two more times in his head," Keller said Tuesday while testifying in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court during a hearing about the investigation into Johnson's death.

Ruffin, 50, was arrested almost two weeks after the July 9 shooting and booked with second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated criminal damage to property and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, court records said.

He admitted shooting Johnson, though the motive is still under investigation, according to Keller.

On the night of the homicide, deputies found Johnson lying on the ground outside his Federal Drive residence. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Keller said.

Keller testified that there was no physical confrontation between Ruffin and Johnson before the shooting.

"Mr. Johnson did not expect anything to occur. He was providing a jump," Keller said.

A witness who had opened the front door of Johnson's home when she heard gunfire quickly retreated inside, afraid of being hurt, according to authorities. Ruffin fired one shot at the front door before driving away, Keller said.

Detectives used a fingerprint left on the hood of Johnson's car during the jump-start to identify Ruffin as a possible suspect, according to Keller. His physical body type and limp from a leg injury matched that of the gunman on the video, authorities said.

The black sedan that the gunman was driving at the time of the homicide was a rental procured by a relative of Ruffin's, Keller said. Cell phone data also put Ruffin in the area of the homicide around the time it occurred, according to Keller.

On the night of the shooting, Ruffin actually returned to the murder scene with his wife after the investigation was well underway, this time acting as a grieving and concerned friend of the victim, Keller said.

Ruffin at first denied any involvement in Johnson's death when questioned by investigators. But he confessed his part after being confronted with the video and other evidence, Keller said.

Jefferson Parish Criminal Commissioner Patricia Joyce ruled there was probable cause to continue holding Ruffin on the criminal charges. She also denied a motion to reduce his $710,000 bail.

He was being held Tuesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.

Email Michelle Hunter at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter, @MichelleHunter.