No charges against KCPD officers in shooting death of Malcolm Johnson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A special prosecutor in St. Louis will not issue charges in the shooting death of Malcolm Johnson two years ago. Johnson was shot and killed while police officers were attempting to make an arrest. An officer was shot in the leg.

The special prosecutor has determined that the evidence in the case indicates that the police officer acted reasonably in self-defense and the defense of others.

The shooting happened at a gas station on Prospect Avenue. According to the prosecutor’s report, police were looking for Johnson in connection with a shooting that happened a few days before.

As he stood by the checkout counter, police moved in for an arrest. A struggle ensued; Johnson eventually ended up on the floor. There is video on the struggle, and shouts of “Gun!” can be heard. After the shouts of a gun, an officer was shot in the leg. After the officer was shot, he pulled his gun and Johnson was shot twice in the head.

The video showed Johnson was on the ground when the shooting occurred with his hands under his body. Emergency responders reported finding a handgun under Johnson’s body as they examined him at the scene.

The special prosecutor has been criticized by some community members because of the length of time taken for the report. In the report, the prosecutor said it did much more than review the evidence produced by the Missouri Highway Patrol’s investigation. The team interviewed many witnesses already interviewed by the highway patrol, and additional witnesses and did a new analysis of physical evidence.

Kansas City Police Department chief Stacey Graves released the following statement:

Copyright 2023 KCTV. All rights reserved.