Grand Rapids shooting victim dies from injuries

DULUTH - One of the two people shot in Grand Rapids a week ago has died, police said today.

The Grand Rapids Police Department reported that Rosemary Oberg-Johnson, 59, of Grand Rapids, died at a Duluth hospital. She and her son, Paul Russell Johnson, 32, were shot in her Grand Rapids home last Saturday night, Dec. 22. Paul Johnson remains in critical condition at a Duluth hospital, police said.

A candlelight vigil will take place beginning at 8:15 this evening at Blandin Beach in honor of the victims, said Melissa Scaia, executive director of Grand Rapids-based Advocates for Family Peace. The event, requested by friends of the victims, will include a moment of silence at 8:30 p.m., exactly one week after the shootings took place.

Blandin Beach is across the street from the house where Rosemary Oberg-Johnson and Paul Johnson were shot, Scaia said.

William Levi Payne, 26, of Bovey, was formally charged in State District Court in Itasca County on Monday with eight felony counts in connection with the case, including attempted murder. Grand Rapids Police Chief Jim Denny said in a news release today that an amended criminal complaint is expected next week in the wake of Oberg-Johnson's death.

According to police and prosecutors, last Saturday night Payne went to the Johnsons' home in Grand Rapids where he knew his wife and a male friend to be, shot the man and his mother and then kidnapped his wife before giving up to authorities.

He had been ordered days earlier to stay away from his estranged wife after stalking her and firing a gun outside their home, according to court documents.

Payne appeared in court on Christmas Eve morning and is being held pending $1 million bail with no conditions and $750,000 with conditions. Payne’s next court appearance is set for Monday.