Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Lakewood, WA: Medical Examiner: Daniell Johnson Killed by Lakewood Police Bullet

The Pierce County Medical Examiner Office concluded Daniell Johnson died after he was shot with a Lakewood police officer's gun — not by suicide as originally speculated — according to a news report posted Monday.

The medical examiner identified Lakewood policeman Brian Markert as the officer who shot Johnson, The Tacoma News Tribune reported. Markert was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, which is standard procedure in such cases.

Johnson was shot while sitting in his car following reports of a domestic dispute with his ex-wife.
Police reports said Johnson, 35, choked and punched Jane Johnson during a domestic dispute before leaving their house at 27 Rips Lane SW. The couple had recently divorced. He returned to the house, where officers saw him. While sitting still in his white Nissan sedan, a gunshot rang out inside the car, police said.
SWAT teams members approached the car and, after seeing movement, shot three times into the car. Police found Johnson dead inside. Originally, investigators couldn't say if Johnson was shot by police or himself.
The investigation remains open, The TNT reported. 

Jane Johnson said she originally thought her ex-husband committed suicide but the death certificate she received two or three weeks ago instead indicated it was a homicide.
"You grieve he committed suicide and now grieving he was shot by the cops and there's a different story," Jane Johnson said. "I have my own questions about what happened and in the end, not all of my questions are going to be answered."

Johnson and her three sons by Daniell Johnson have carried on, she said. Her oldest son, Davon Johnson, 14, captured the 2011 Judo National Scholastics tournament championship in Michigan on Saturday. A Facebook post by Jane Johnson spoke highly of her son's accomplishment.
Jane Johnson said she's not sure how or if she's going to tell Davon, Tyriq, 12, and Kaden, 4, exactly what happened to their father outside their front yard.

"For the simple fact they are dealing with this as is," Jane Johnson said. "We don’t even talk about it at home. They don’t talk about the incident at all."

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