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Man dies after being shot by St. Petersburg police
John Johnson, who was shot by police in south St. Petersburg Saturday afternoon, has died.
PINELLAS COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A man who was shot by three St. Petersburg police officers Saturday afternoon has died.
According to St. Petersburg Police Department spokesman Bill Proffitt, the man, John Alfred Johnson, had shot and wounded another man, identified as Ben Ware, Saturday afternoon.
Ware was initially listed in critical condition, but police later said his injuries are not life threatening. Saturday is Ware's 59th birthday.
Proffitt said the incident began when Ware and Johnson were hanging out in the area of 18th Avenue South and 37th Street South with a few other people and the two of them had a verbal dispute.
Johnson left the area and came back in 20 or 30 minutes armed with a semi-automatic handgun.
Proffitt said Johnson threatened to kill Ware, pointed the gun at his face, and then shot him several times.
Meanwhile, an unidentified caller had dialed 911 about 2:30 and told the emergency operator that "people were ready to fight and someone may have weapons" and then hung up the telephone.
The shooting occurred moments after officers arrived on the scene.
Bystanders told the officers about a man, later identified as Johnson, walking westbound on 18th Terrace South from 37th Street South with a handgun.
The incident took place near 18th Avenue South and 38th Street South.
Proffitt said officers followed Johnson and repeatedly told him to drop his handgun, but he refused and continued to walk away from them.
"According to initial statements from witnesses, Johnson told the officers that he was not going back to prison and told them they would have to shoot him," Proffitt said. "When Johnson reached 18th Terrace South and 38th Street South, he turned and faced the officers while holding a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his hand."
Three officers shot Johnson, hitting him twice in the stomach and once in the hand. He died about six hours later. Johnson had worked in the city's stormwater department.
The three officers who shot Johnson have been placed on paid administrative leave for two days. They will then be assigned to restricted duty until the conclusion of an administrative investigation.
Those officers are George W. Graves, 26; Michael F. Karayianes, 26; and Michael J. Romano, 29.
None of the officers were injured.
Proffitt said no further information would be released until a review is conducted.
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