LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – It’s been a tough eight months for her mother, Zanobia Simpson. 17 year old Kenlon JohnsonHe died after being shot outside a home on Rockaway Place in Lexington in March of this year.

“He got his diploma and his college acceptance letter, he had to get started,” Simpson said.

Instead of getting a call from Johnson about how his first semester of college was going, Simpson was getting updates on the death investigation.

He said time flies.

“I know you have to review the evidence and things like that, but it was still taking too long,” he said.

It was Thursday when Simpson got the call he had been waiting for.

19-year-old Jon’tay Mattingly arrested in connection with the death of his son.

Lexington Police said they were able to identify Mattingly through the Real Time Intelligence Center.

“Halloween, I came home from work and I was told about it,” Simpson said.

Simpson said Johnson knew Mattingly.

“They all grew up together. They were literally friends,” he said.

He added that he knew others were involved in the attack, so justice had not yet been fully served.

“It will probably take a little longer but they have all been arrested. This is justice. They were all arrested,” Simpson said.

Simpson has advice for other parents in a similar situation and waiting for answers:

“Just pray. “All I could do was pray,” he added.

Simpson said he was not informed of the cause of the shooting that led to his son’s death.

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