Sept. 8 (UPI) — Dorian Johnson, the key witness in the death of a Black teenager by a White Ferguson, Mo., police officer more than a decade ago that sparked nationwide protests, was killed in a shooting over the weekend, according to authorities.
Johnson, who witnessed the 2014 police shooting that sparked the “hands up, don’t shoot” outcry, died Sunday morning in Ferguson in what “appears to be a domestic incident involving a claim of self-defense.” One person was arrested, but released after being held without charges for 24 hours. No officers were involved in the shooting.
“The investigation remains active,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said in a statement. “The Ferguson Police Department is engaged in ongoing consultation with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office regarding possible criminal charges. We will announce any charging decisions made regarding this matter of evident public interest.”
In August 2014, Johnson revealed he had witnessed the death of his friend, 18-year-old Michael Brown, after he was shot multiple times with his hands in the air by a police officer in Ferguson.
“He shot again and once my friend felt that shot, he turned around and put his hands in the air,” Johnson said at the time. “He started to get down and the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several more shots.”
Johnson filed a lawsuit against the city of Ferguson the following year, alleging he suffered emotional and psychological scars.
The officer, Darren Wilson, was not charged. He resigned after the shooting.
“Although this case represents one of the most significant moments in St. Louis’ history, the question to this office is a simple one: Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law?” St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell asked in 2020. “After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did.”
Wilson said he pursued the teens after he suspected them of stealing from a market. He claimed Brown rushed toward his vehicle and attempted to grab his firearm, when it went off.
Johnson denied the claim, saying Wilson shot Brown in the back before he turned around. Autopsies revealed Brown was shot six times from the front.
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