Terrell Johnson
Birth date:
Death date:
May 10, 2017
Age at Death:
24
About
Terrell Johsnon was a 24 year old bi-racial man living in Portland. Mr. Johnson struggled with his mental health and addiction and may have been homeless at the time of his death. His mother shared, "My son Terrell was a loving and kind person who would do anything to help anyone who needed it...He was a blessing to our family, and we are still dealing with the pain of losing him and of seeing his reputation tarnished.I'm bringing this lawsuit because I want to see the accountability that has been sadly lacking from Portland Police. I want justice for Terrell, and I want to help prevent this happening to another family."
Terrell Johnson, who was biracial, was having a mental health crisis and had previously and unsuccessfully had sought mental health and drug addiction treatment, the lawsuit states. He was probably homeless, his family's attorney says.Terrell Johnson was a man that struggled with many mental health issues but was always loved and appreciated by his family. His family stood up for him even af
Officers responded to a 911 call that a man was acting erratically and verbally threatening people. The police arrived at the Flavel Street Transit Station in Southeast Portland. According to the police, Mr. Johnson would not comply with their instructions and instead tried to run away. This led to a foot chase. As one of the officers neared Mr. Johnson, he "displayed a knife" per the officer. The officer then chose to shoot Mr. Johnson killing him. The lawsuit claims that the police officer used unlawful force against Johnson and deprived him of his civil rights in the process.
Was justice served?
No, justice has not been served. The family of Terrell Johnson filed a lawsuit claiming that the police officer used unlawful force against Johnson and deprived him of his civil rights in the process. "Officers are supposed to follow certain rules before engaging in foot chases, and Officer Ajir did not follow any of those and that resulted in Terrell dying that day," said Juan Chavez, an attorney with the Oregon Justice Resource Center who is representing the Johnson family. "Foot chases are particularly dangerous, and that’s why police officers need to follow these rules." After a month after the shooting, a Multnomah County grand jury found that the police officer's use of force was justified.