Dorian Johnson, the friend of Michael Brown, who witnessed the teenager get murdered by a police officer in 2014, was fatally shot on Sunday.
As Blavity reported, a white police officer named Darren Wilson fatally shot unarmed 18-year-old Brown eight times on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri. The incident made headlines and sparked national discourse among Americans. The 33-year-old was with Brown when the incident transpired, and his recount of the tragic occurrence was essential in coining the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” phrase that was chanted at protests nationwide after a grand jury chose not to indict the former cop.
Dorian Johnson was shot not too far from where Michael Brown was killed
According to CNN, Johnson lost his life to a gunshot wound on Sunday morning at an apartment complex. Patricia Washington, a representative for the Ferguson Police Department, noted that the residences where the crime happened weren’t far from where Brown was killed more than a decade ago.
The FDP released a statement via their Facebook page, accompanied by a photo of police on the scene with yellow tape visible.
“Ferguson police are on scene in the 9000 block of Abaco Drive in response to a call for shots fired at approximately 8:30AM today,” it read. “One person, an adult Black male, has died from his injuries. FPD has one person in custody and the investigation is very active. FPD encourages anyone who may have information regarding this incident please contact detectives at 314-522-3100.”
The PSA concluded with a dismissal of any gossip swirling about authorities being involved in Johnson’s death: “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.”
St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Melissa Price Smith confirmed that the person of interest had been released from police custody, saying the shooting “appears to be a domestic incident involving a claim of self-defense,” per CNN.
What progress has the Ferguson Police Department made since Michael Brown’s killing?
Brown’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city and reached an unknown settlement in 2017. Around the same time, a Justice Department investigation found that Ferguson’s police and municipal court had a long-running “pattern and practice” of discrimination against Black residents.
Police Chief Troy Doyle shared with CNN that Brown’s death had a significant impact that has shaped the department as it continues to improve. Today, about half the officers are Black; in 2014, fewer than five out of roughly 60 were Black. In addition, the force now undergoes training on implicit bias and the use of force.
