TEMPLE, Texas — Earlier this year, the City of Temple declared Aug. 23 as Chris Johnson Day and unveiled a memorial statue of the late teen at Pepper Creek Trail. Almost two months after the statue was unveiled, it was vandalized.
"It's a monument," said Gary Johnson, Chris' father. "It represents my son and you're gonna take away from that? It's not worth anything."
Gary Johnson is the one who discovered that the statue had been vandalized. The bronze statue is of Chris at his favorite fishing spot. The fishing pole was stolen from the statue's hands and a cross and chain were stolen from around its neck.
"[The statue] had a little fish on the string, a little wooden fish tied to it, they pulled the fish off, threw it on the ground and were able to remove the fishing pole and rod," Johnson told 6 News. "It's very disrespectful and hurtful."
Johnson has since added a surveillance camera to the statue site and placed a fishing pole back in Chris' hands. He hopes whoever did this will return the items or at least come to respect his son and learn his story.
"If this person were to try to make it right, nothing more will be said and they can feel better about themselves by doing so, so, yeah, no matter what, Chris is gonna be honored, this doesn't take away from that," Johnson said.
Chris Johnson was involved in a motorcycle crash on Thanksgiving in 2022, where he ultimately lost his life at just 19 years old. Chris was adopted by Gary when he was 13 and loved sharing the story of his adoption and helping the community.
Since then, Gary Johnson has been working to keep Chris' memory alive. He started The Christopher Johnson Foundation where he sells bracelets and t-shirts and brings awareness and help to foster families and children that are still in the system.
"I'm proud of my son and [I] have been proud of the community for supporting this effort for my son," Johnson told 6 News.
If you want to know more about Chris' story or find out more on how to help the cause, click here.
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