Dorian Johnson, a friend of Michael Brown — an 18-year-old who was killed by a Missouri police officer 11 years ago — was shot and killed over the weekend near the same location.
‘There had been earlier rumors that this was an officer-involved shooting however that information is incorrect.’
Johnson claimed he was with Brown when Officer Darren Wilson stopped them in 2014. Wilson contended that he shot Brown in self-defense, but Johnson spread claims that Brown was surrendering, sparking the protest chant, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” and nationwide Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
“He put his hands in the air,” Johnson previously stated about Brown. “He started to get down, but the officer still approached with his weapon drawn. And he fired several more shots. And my friend died.”
However, a report from the Department of Justice concluded that Johnson’s claims were not accurate.
“Witness accounts suggesting that Brown was standing still with his hands raised in an unambiguous signal of surrender when Wilson shot Brown are inconsistent with the physical evidence, are otherwise not credible because of internal inconsistencies, or are not credible because of inconsistencies with other credible evidence,” the DOJ found.
Despite two separate law enforcement investigations concluding that Brown had not put his hands up in the air to surrender, Johnson continued to stand by his account of events.
“His hands were definitely up when he turned around,” Johnson told the Washington Post five years after the shooting. “Whether his hands were up, or halfway up, or fully down or up, he was killed and he was unarmed. He wasn’t posing a threat.”
Johnson, 33, was killed during a “domestic incident” around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to Melissa Price Smith, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.
“There had been earlier rumors that this was an officer-involved shooting however that information is incorrect. No officers, Ferguson or otherwise, were involved in this incident other than to begin our investigation,” Ferguson Police stated.
One suspect was taken into custody but was later released without facing any criminal charges, Price said.
The investigation into Johnson’s death remains ongoing.
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