loading . . . By John Agar | [email protected]
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The mother of a man who was fatally shot by a Grand Rapids police officer said police “executed” her son.
She also said she had viewed video of the killing that provided a better look at what happened than video released by police.
Da’Quain Johnson, 32, died early Thursday, Feb. 19, hours after he was shot late Wednesday in the parking lot of Eastern Lofts on Eastern Avenue SE, north of Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
Grand Rapids police tried to stop Johnson, who was riding a bicycle, around 9:25 p.m. after an officer reported he might be armed with a pistol.
Police video showed officers trying to get him to stop and eventually releasing a police K-9 that stopped the man.
Watch "Bodycam footage shows fatal Grand Rapids police shooting after bicycle chase" on YouTubeWatch
The police videos showed the officers trying to handcuff Johnson before an officer fired three shots, striking Johnson in the chest. One of the officers said on the video that the barrel of the gun was pointed at him.
The gun was found underneath Johnson, police said.
The killing has generated anger and controversy with race - Johnson was Black - being an issue.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom released three police videos to counter what he called “falsehoods” spreading on social media.
Angelica Johnson said during a Facebook Live video on Friday that footage of the shooting showed a different angle than the police videos, and showed that he was helpless on the ground when he was shot.
She said that race played a role.
“He was being targeted just like so many other Black kids.”
She said he was riding his bike on the road and posed no danger during the low-speed pursuit.
“That is not a reason to shoot somebody,” she said. “And I’m sorry, y’all, but y’all need to know the truth. Not their truth. My truth. And the truth is, my son wasn’t doing nothing. They shot him. Wow. Oh. Not only did they shoot him, after they shot him and he became lifeless, they let the dog go back to attacking my son’s face.”
She said that her son had been described by police as a felon with a firearm, which he would not have been able to legally possess.
“But you didn’t know that prior to you executing that boy. They have been following my son all that day. Not only I knew it, people at a gas station he frequent, they knew it. My son had more information than they wanted him to carry.”
During the video, she said, the funeral home called so she could view her son’s body for the first time. She said she wasn’t ready to see his body but “If I don’t show up for him, who will? … Oh, my Jesus. I don’t know if that’s something I want to see. The video (of the shooting) was bad enough, but I gotta say goodbye to my baby.”
She said her son’s face was mauled. She also said her son was shot in the head, contradicting the police chief’s statement that Johnson was shot in the chest. It was not clear how many of the three shots fired struck Johnson.
“They executed him close range. Shot him close range. Not standing from a distance. Close range with his hands behind his back as a dog ate at his face.”
Michigan State Police are investigating.
John Agar headshot John Agar
John Agar joined The Grand Rapids Press in 1996 in covering crime West Michigan and elsewhere. He has reported extensively on the House of Judah cult based in Allegan County, the Holland Latin Kings street gang... more
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