Ken Johnson, a cop accused of killing a teenager, has been arrested. According to Texas authorities, Johnson, an off-duty officer, chased and fatally shot Jose Raul Cruz, a teenager, who was suspected of burglary.
Ken Johnson, a cop, who gunned down two teenagers and killed one, has been arrested. In a brief statement issued by Texas authorities, it was revealed that Johnson has been charged with murder and aggravated assault after the disturbing events that occurred over the weekend in Addison near Dallas.
On Sunday evening, Mr .Johnson, a Farmers Branch officer, was off-duty when he saw his personal SUV being burglarized in his apartment complex parking lot by two young men. The police officer first tried to arrest the teens as they were committing the crime, and when that failed, he ignored the department policies “not allow off-duty officers to chase suspects in their own vehicles” and followed them.
In a statement given by Johnson, he revealed that after “the suspects’ vehicle spun out about a half-mile away,” an altercation took place (he rammed his car into the other vehicle), which led to the shooting. One of Johnson’s bullets fatally struck Jose Raul Cruz, and the other teen was shot in the head.
It has been reported that the teen, who was injured is Edgar Rodriguez, and he is still in the hospital. As the Cruz family was burying their 16-year-old son, Johnson was taken into custody by Addison police officers and was booked into Dallas County Jail where his bail was set at $150,000.
Johnson’s attorney, Chris Livingston, said he feared for his life, but would not say whether the teens were armed. The lawyer added:
“The Addison Police Department’s decision to circumvent the grand jury process is disappointing my client looks forward to presenting this case to 12 unbiased jurors.”
While Texas laws permit gun owners to use deadly force to stop property from being stolen during night hours, the killing of Mr. Cruz occurred between 7 and 7:30 p.m. while the sun was still up. Addison police Chief Paul Spencer said:
“…that there was probable cause to arrest Johnson but that the investigation will likely take several more weeks.”
Cruz’s cousin, Nora Rubi, said that she was happy that Johnson had been arrested. She explained:
“When I first heard about it, I was crying nonstop. I thought it was a joke.”
Farmers Branch police spokesman David Laisure confirmed that Johnson had no disciplinary record and according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, Johnson has worked for Farmers Branch police for a year. He worked as a peace officer for Dallas Area Rapid Transit for almost eight years before that.
