Lincoln Park boys basketball coach Mike Bariski said he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt Damar Johnson, a freshman standout who was shot in the arm Wednesday night in Farrell.
“I can’t even understand who wouldn’t like him,” Bariski said. “A kid with braces. Always smiling. Fifteen years old. Come on.”
Bariski said he visited Johnson on Thursday at a Pittsburgh hospital where he’s recovering from a gunshot wound to his right forearm. He said Johnson was injured in a drive-by shooting in his hometown while walking to a friend’s house.
His father, D’Andre Johnson, said Thursday his son was doing “way better” but had a cast on his arm.
“Thank God for letting my boy be ok!” Johnson said in a Facebook post, noting that Damar wouldn’t need surgery since the bullet went straight through.
“He can’t even walk to a friends house without being worried about him … ,” his father added.
Damar Johnson showed his potential this winter while starting at point guard. Lincoln Park entered the season with an all-freshman lineup and struggled to a 2-20 record. But he’s seen as a top player for the new-look Leopards, who won consecutive WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2023 and ‘24 with a veteran-heavy lineup.
Johnson scored 21 points in a game against Ambridge and had 20 vs. West Allegheny.
“He’s really good,” Bariski said.
Johnson and his teammates played a game in a spring league earlier Wednesday at Northgate. Lincoln Park had canceled classes for Thursday because of power outages from Tuesday’s storms.
Farrell police confirmed a non-fatal shooting occurred Wednesday. Bariski said no immediate arrests were made.
“It was just in his neighborhood going to his friend’s house and bang, bang, bang,” he said.
Bariski said Johnson, who was flown by helicopter to Pittsburgh, had a broken bone in his arm.
“You put your arm up when you hear shots,” Bariski said. “The doctor thought it might’ve ricocheted off that bone and that’s why it didn’t hit him anywhere else. He’s very lucky.”