Officer Rodney Johnson
Houston Police Department
Texas
End of Watch: Thursday, September 21, 2006

Biographical Info
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, September 21, 2006
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: In custody

Officer Rodney Johnson was shot after taking a male suspect into custody during a traffic stop.

Officer Johnson stopped a large white pickup with a man and a woman inside on Randolph at Braniff, just south of Hobby Airport at about 5:30 pm. He had handcuffed the male and placed him in the back seat of his patrol car when the suspect shot him as he sat in the front seat. He was able to push an emergency button, alerting dispatch. When other officers arrived, the suspect was still handcuffed and sitting in the patrol car. They also recovered the weapon. The woman who was in the vehicle during the traffic stop is also in custody.

Officer Johnson was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He 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 an military policeman in the US Army. He is survived by his wife, also a Houston officer, and their three daughters and two sons.