2006

September 21, 2006
Gunfire   @   9300 Randolph  

DOB – 10/24/1965, Age 40
Badge – 5913
Class #159
Final Resting Place – Earthman Resthaven, Houston TX        

Officer Johnson, 40, was sworn in as an officer in December of 1994 as a member of HPD Academy Class #159.

Officer Rodney Johnson was shot and killed after taking an illegal alien into custody during a traffic stop.

Officer Johnson had stopped a large white pickup truck occupied by a man and woman on Randolph at Braniff, just south of Hobby Airport, at about 5:30 pm. He placed the male driver under arrest after he was unable to produce a driver's license. After handcuffing the male, he placed him in the backseat of the patrol car and then returned to the driver's seat. The subject, while handcuffed and sitting in the backseat of the patrol car was able to move his hands to his front, retrieve a concealed handgun, and shot Officer Johnson in the back of the head four times. Despite being fatally wounded, Officer Johnson was able to push an emergency button, alerting dispatch to the incident.

When other officers arrived, the male was still handcuffed and sitting in the patrol car, and the weapon was recovered. The woman who was in the vehicle during the traffic stop had fled but was also located and taken into custody.
The suspect was taken to HPD Headquarters at 1200 Travis where he provided a full confession.
Officer Johnson was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect was an illegal alien who had been deported in 1999, but illegally reentered the United States. On May 8, 2008 the suspect was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life. In addition, a federal grand jury indicted the owner of a landscaping firm who hired the suspect, accusing him of harboring an illegal alien.

Officer Johnson was a 12-year member of the Houston Police Department and had previously served as a corrections officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and as a military policeman in the US Army. He is survived by his wife, also a Houston officer, their three daughters, two sons, and mother.

Source – ODMP and Homicide News Release