The memorial act, Senate Bill 490, creates a criminal penalty for interfering with an on-duty law enforcement officer, resulting in the officer’s death.
The bill is named after Charleston Police Officer Cassie Johnson, 28, who died after being shot in December 2020.
The prosecution in the case originally charged Joshua Phillips, the man who shot Johnson, with first-degree murder. Prosecutors said Johnson was worried about her safety because Phillips had pulled a gun, prevented Johnson from getting to her service weapon and struggled with her before shots were fired.
The memorial act, Senate Bill 490, creates a criminal penalty for interfering with an on-duty law enforcement officer, resulting in the officer’s death.
“The vote was unanimous in both chambers, and I salute them in every way,” Justice said. “Thank you all for, for everything. Basically, what this is doing is stiffening the penalties. This is Senate Bill 490. Patrol Officer, Cassie Marie Johnson Memorial Act. So like I said with great, great honor. When someone takes the life of one of our law enforcement officers, this bill makes sure that they are punished for their actions, and so I’m going to sign.”
The penalty for killing an on-duty law enforcement officer in West Virginia is now life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
After Monday’s signing of Senate Bill 490, Mayor of Charleston, Amy Shuler Goodwin released a statement.
“There is not a day that goes by that we don’t think about Cassie, her commitment to our community, and the loss that was experienced by so many – especially her brothers and sisters in blue,” said Goodwin. “We appreciate the Legislature’s willingness to sit down and listen to our police officers – and, especially, the family of Cassie Johnson.”
The funeral for Charleston K-9 officer Axel will take place Thursday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Charleston Coliseum.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022 at 10:15 a.m.
The funeral for Charleston K-9 officer Axel will take place Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Charleston Coliseum. Visitation will start at noon and is open to the public.
According to city officials, Civic Center Drive will be accessible for Coliseum and Convention Center parking. Two lanes of Quarrier Street will be closed beginning at 11 a.m. at Clendenin Street.
Charleston Police Chief James “Tyke” Hunt said K-9 Axel was shot Saturday at close range by wanted felon, 50-year-old Samuel Paul Ranson of Charleston.
Police were dispatched to a home on East Point Drive late Saturday night. Hunt said Ranson was trying to flee when he shot the police dog within “arms reach” of two police officers, including Axel’s handler, Ptl. Clendenin.
Hunt said the officers returned fire. Ranson, who was wanted on an active felony warrant of malicious wounding charges in connection with a recent stabbing, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
A procession for K-9 Axel was held on Sunday and Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin ordered city flags to be lowered to half staff in honor of the fallen K-9.
Axel was one of six canines working with the police station. Born in the Czech Republic, the dog was brought to the department in early 2021 from a kennel in North Carolina.
“I never want to see any loss of life in the city of Charleston,” said Hunt. Even for the family members of the offender, you know that’s still someone’s son, brother, grandchild. But for us, your police department, we lost an officer.”
K-9 Axel will be honored during a funeral service later this week. Details will be announced by city officials.
Hunt said the department will submit its full report on the shooting to the Kanawha County prosecutor’s office.
A man was found guilty Monday in the fatal shooting of a West Virginia police officer who had responded to a parking complaint in 2020.
A man was found guilty Monday in the fatal shooting of a West Virginia police officer who had responded to a parking complaint in 2020.
A Kanawha County jury announced the verdict on a second-degree murder charge following three days of deliberations in the trial of Joshua Phillips. He originally was charged with first-degree murder.
The jury also found Phillips guilty of simple possession of a controlled substance, news outlets reported.
Officer Cassie Johnson
Charleston Police Officer Cassie Johnson, 28, died after being shot in the neck in Dec. 2020. According to a police complaint, a resident had said that Phillips, of Charleston, parked his sport utility vehicle on her property.
Prosecutors said Johnson was worried about her safety because Phillips had pulled a gun, prevented Johnson from getting to her service revolver and struggled with her before shots were fired. According to testimony at the trial, Phillips fired six shots.
In response to the verdict, Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said her thoughts were with Johnson’s family.
“Since the moment when I arrived at the hospital the evening that Patrol Officer Cassie Johnson was fatally shot, my heart has been with Cassie’s mom, Sheryl; her sister, Chelsea; and her brothers and sisters in blue at the Charleston Police Department,” Goodwin said in a news release. “It has been a painful journey – not only for Cassie’s family and friends – but also for our community. While this was not the verdict we had hoped for, I hope today’s decision by the jury brings some level of peace and closure.”
Charleston Chief of Police Tyke Hunt said it was not the verdict he wanted, but that he would continue to have faith in the justice system.
“While there’s nothing we can do to bring back a fallen sister, her death will not be in vain. The officers of the Charleston Police Department will work to uphold her memory in the job she so dearly loved,” he said.
At Monday’s meeting, the Charleston City Council voted to honorarily name Garrison Avenue as “Patrolman Cassie Johnson Avenue.”
On December 1, 2020, Johnson was shot in the line of duty on Garrison Avenue on the city’s West Side. She died less than a week later from her injuries.
“Patrolman Cassie Johnson was an exemplary public servant who had a passion for the citizens that she served,” said Chief Tyke Hunt. “This honorary street naming will act as a constant reminder of her bravery, courage and determination to serve the City of Charleston.”
The Charleston Police Department’s D-shift, the shift Johnson worked on, entered the petition for the honorary street-naming.
Members of law enforcement agencies from all over West Virginia and numerous other states attended Johnson’s funeral at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center last year.
Johnson was an animal lover and the council also voted to name a new city dog park in honor of Johnson’s labrador retriever Emma.
Hundreds from law enforcement agencies throughout the state gathered at the Charleston Coliseum and Civic Center Tuesday afternoon, including officers for the Charleston Police Department.
They wore black cloth face masks with a blue symbol on the right cheek — No. 146, the unit number for 28-year-old police officer Cassie Johnson, who died Thursday, Dec. 3.
For the last week, police officials and local news outlets have covered key moments in the situation that lead to Johnson’s death, including the gunshot that killed her, Johnson’s hospitalization and her family’s decision to save and harvest their daughter’s organs.
But on Tuesday during Johnson’s funeral, her colleagues and city leaders focused their attention to honoring who Johnson was — a young West Virginia native with a soft spot for pets and a passion for protecting her hometown.
Eric Douglas
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Emergency responders and law enforcement officers from Charleston and all over the state gathered for a funeral in the capital on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, for Cassie Johnson.
“Cassie was the epitome of what a police officer should be,” said friend and colleague, Lt. Autumn Davis. “Someone with a compassionate heart for the most vulnerable, [someone with] a selfless desire to come to the aid of others, and someone with the courage in the face of danger.”
Johnson graduated from the West Virginia State Police Academy in May 2019, according to Charleston Police Chief James “Tyke” Hunt. She was assigned to the Charleston Police Department shortly afterward. Prior to that, the Capital High alumna worked as a humane officer, finding stray pets and bringing them to the local humane association.
Her colleagues, including Hunt, spoke highly of Johnson’s determination to join their force.
“I believe Patrolman Cassie Johnson would tell us all to never give up, and to continue on with your protection of others,” Hunt said. “Law enforcement is a noble profession. It is also a profession that is plagued with misunderstanding from some, who are on the outside looking in.”
Davis recalled first meeting Johnson in 2017, when Johnson was first testing to join the department. Even though Johnson didn’t pass on her first attempt, Davis said she encouraged Johnson to keep trying and to stay engaged with the city’s public safety community.
In all of Johnson’s work with local law enforcement, Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin told funeral attendees — including Johnson’s mother and her siblings — that Johnson helped Charleston become a “more vibrant and a safer place.” According to Davis, Johnson was working toward becoming a canine officer.
“Which would have combined her love for dogs and police work,” Davis said. “A perfect fit. I have no doubt that her partner would have been very spoiled.”
As an organ donor, Johnson continues to have a positive impact on her community, according to members from the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, who spoke at Johnson’s funeral and described some of the adults who have received Johnson’s heart, lungs, kidney and tissue.
Eric Douglas
/
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
A procession of law enforcement vehicles followed the funeral of Cassie Johnson on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020.
Johnson’s funeral ended with a procession from the convention center to the Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Sissonville.
Johnson died on life support on Thursday, Dec. 3, two days after responding to a parking parking complaint along Garrison Avenue, where police say 38-year-old Joshua Phillips shot her.
Phillips was hospitalized at Charleston Area Medical Center the same day as Johnson, due to gun injuries police believe he sustained from Johnson.
Phillips was out of jail on bond after he was charged for driving on a revoked license in January, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported. Investigators with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department told the paper that Phillips parked his car in front of a driveway that wasn’t his own, which set off the parking complaint that Johnson was responding to.
Goodwin told MetroNews on Friday that the city will charge Phillips with first-degree murder.
Charleston police officer Cassie Johnson, who was shot in the face Tuesday after responding to a parking complaint on the city’s north side, is expected to pass away from injuries sustained.
According to the Charleston Police Department, Johnson, 28, underwent three hours of surgery Wednesday morning at the Charleston Area Medical Center. Officials said in a Wednesday evening press conference that she was taken off life support and not expected to survive, but that she will be an organ donor.
Shooting suspect Joshua Phillips, 38, of Charleston was identified by police Wednesday and no charges have been filed yet, the Associated Press reported. However, in a press conference officials said evidence will be handed over to the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office to determine charges.
Phillips was reportedly free on bond after a January 2020 arrest on weapons charges. He was wounded during the shooting and is also hospitalized.
Johnson joined the Charleston police force in January 2019. The shooting sparked the attention of Gov. Jim Justice, who spoke out during his Wednesday morning coronavirus briefing.
“Just think — these are the people we call when we have an issue, a problem, worry or concern… Shot in the face,” Justice said.
The City of Charleston planned a candlelight vigil for Johnson at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Laidley Field.
