NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson’s wife’s parents and 11-year-old nephew died after a fatal shooting at their Oklahoma home on Monday, according to TMZ Sports. The incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide. Police told TMZ Sports that Chandra Janway’s parents, Jack and Terry Janway, and nephew, Dalton Janway, were found dead shortly after 9 p.m. local time after receiving a 911 call from a woman who reported someone with a gun before hanging up the phone. It’s been reported that Terry is considered the suspect, but the motive is not known at this time. It’s also not clear if Terry was the one who called 911.ย
Police told TMZ Sports they found a body laying in the hallway after arriving at the scene before hearing another gunshot come from inside the home. Two more bodies were discovered, and all three died from gunshot wounds. Johnson and Chandra Janway got married in 2004, and the couple has two daughters, Genevieve and Lydia.ย
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This is not the first tragedy the family has dealt with. In 2014, Janway’s younger brother Jordan was killed in a skydiving accident in Southern California. He was a skydiving instructor with more than 1,000 jumps, and it was reported that he apparently collided with another skydiver while practicing a maneuver and was knocked unconscious before he could deploy his parachute.ย
“He was a free spirit,” Johnson said at the time, per USA Today. “A very adventurous guy. Base-jumping and parachuting and wearing the squirrel suits, like you see the guys flying along the cliff sides, that’s what he did. He’s in a lot of those videos shooting that footage. (It’s a) tragic death, for sure. But he was doing something he loved. He was very passionate about it. (He) never met a stranger. A very warm, caring young man, and he’s definitely going to be missed.” ย
Johnson currently competes in NASCAR part-time for Legacy Motor Club. He retired from full-time racing following the 2020 season and left NASCAR with seven Cup Series Championships and two Daytona 500 titles. Johnson also competed in IndyCar for two seasons and had a fifth-place finish at Iowa Speedway last year.ย
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.
