Ex-Taco Bell Employee Accused of Killing Manager Hours After Being Fired

By BIN

October 22, 2025

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Photo: Getty Images North America

A Cincinnati man is accused of fatally shooting his former manager less than 24 hours after being fired from Taco Bell, per WCPO.

The death of 32-year-old Ryan Johnson, a manager at Taco Bell, unfolded on August 28 in Cincinnati's Queensgate neighborhood. According to authorities, 21-year-old Jonathan Morris returned to the fast-food restaurant parking lot less than a day after he was fired. Morris allegedly shot Johnson, a father of seven, multiple times while he was on break.

Police responded to reports of gunfire and found Johnson critically wounded. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Morris was arrested on Wednesday (October 15) and charged with murder. Prosecutors requested a $2 million bond, but Judge Tyrone Yates set it at $500,000, with the full amount required and 24/7 monitoring if released.

During the bond hearing, Johnson’s grandmother addressed the court, saying, “He killed my grandson. He doesn’t need to be out!”

Johnson’s family described him as a generous and joyful person.

“He loved to be there for everybody. He would give you the shirt off his back,” Ebony Denton, the victim's aunt, said. “Always had that big old cheesy smile. That’s how I remember him.”

Morris remains in custody as the case moves forward.

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