‘No more’: Vigil held for man killed in March by Kansas City police during arrest
Area advocates for police reform organized a demonstration and vigil on Wednesday evening for the man fatally shot two months ago by an on-duty Kansas City police officer, pointing to his death as an example of failure in the criminal justice system.
A few dozen people gathered in the parking lot of the gas station where Johnson, 31, was fatally shot, bringing candles and balloons in remembrance. Organizers also raised questions of police accountability and practices while comparing Johnson’s death to other Black men killed while being detained or arrested.
“George Floyd was that catalyst that said: ‘No more for this country.’ Malcolm Johnson needs to be that catalyst saying: ‘No more for this city,’” said Sheryl Ferguson, founder of area activism group It’s Time 4 Justice. “We are done accepting this behavior from our officers.”
Johnson, 31, was killed on March 25 inside of a gas station convenience store near the intersection of 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue as police were trying to arrest him in connection with a previous shooting. A police officer was shot in the leg during the encounter.
The Missouri Highway Patrol, the lead investigative agency into the shooting, offered an early narrative saying Johnson drew a firearm and shot the officer, who returned fire. But that chain of events has since been challenged by a group of Kansas City ministers who released surveillance footage they say shows the final moments before Johnson was shot.
In the video, which does not show the shooting, a man identified by faith leaders as Johnson is seen standing at the counter when two officers in uniform appear to grab his arms, their guns drawn. The man breaks free briefly before the video shows what appears to be the officers pulling him away from the gas station door.
The man and officers remain mostly out of the camera’s view, their feet still visible, for about 80 seconds before the video shows what appears to be an officer who is wounded being rushed out of the store by the other officers.
Johnson was later taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Ferguson, the organizer of the Wednesday demonstration, questioned why police would approach Johnson inside an often-busy business during the daytime if they considered him to be a dangerous criminal. She also said the details surrounding why police were seeking his arrest should not matter, saying he should not have been killed over a warrant.
“He was never read his rights,” Ferguson said. “All we know is that he had a gun in his face.”
The Star’s Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
