Dashcam video released Thursday shows how a shootout between a 21-year-old man and Coweta County sheriff’s deputies turned deadly.
Michael Johnson had 10 outstanding warrants when he fired at deputies during a traffic stop and was later shot and killed.
A deputy recognized him sitting in the passenger seat of a car Wednesday, Coweta Sheriff Mike Yeagar said.
The deputy asked Johnson for his name and identification, then walked back to his car.
That was when Johnson bailed, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“The officer is saying, ‘Stop!’” Yeagar said. “That’s when [Johnson] pulls the gun and bam, bam, bam.”
In the dashcam video, at least five bullets strike the SUV of the deputy, who can be heard yelling: “Shots fired! Shots fired! Need help!”
One bullet went through the door and out the other side.
“I hear four to six shots and then I see the individual running alongside my truck with the gun,” witness Jim Bell told Channel 2. “I was worried for my own safety because he looked very panicked.”
The sheriff said Johnson fired off several more rounds behind a car dealership. When officers ordered him to drop the gun, he fired again.
“That’s when officers returned fire, striking him,” Yeagar said. “This individual knew he was wanted and he wasn’t going to go.”
One bullet narrowly missed a salesman at the nearby car dealership, according to Channel 2.
“We heard about three shots,” Roy Parker said. “When the third one went off, that’s when we heard it hit the building.”
Parker and his colleague were standing right outside the showroom when the shooting started. A .45-caliber round pierced the side of the building a few feet above the spot where the dealership employees were standing.
“We knew it was serious and we really needed to get out of the way,” he said. “[I’m] just glad everyone is safe.”
No witnesses or deputies were injured in the shooting. Johnson’s girlfriend and her baby, who were riding in the car with Johnson, were unharmed.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting.
The incident was not Johnson's first brush with the law.
He allegedly punched a pregnant woman and pushed her to the ground on May 10 and was wanted on a battery charge, Yeager said Thursday.
He was wanted on three counts of aggravated assault with a weapon after an April 23 incident. And authorities issued warrants for his arrest after he allegedly stole a credit card and went on a shopping spree on June 19, 2015. He was wanted on one count of armed robbery and five counts of financial transaction fraud in connection with that incident.
About the Author
