Slain Houston Officer's Widow Sues Gun Store

[ZDL]

http://officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=44151

[telecustom]

Not trying to speak ill of a slain officer, but he should have done a better search of the suspect before he was placed in the patrol car.

[ZDL]

Not trying to speak ill of a slain officer, but he should have done a better search of the suspect before he was placed in the patrol car.

wellllll. that might be true but following the "line of responsibility" I don't understand why she chose the gun store based on what I know of the story (which is admittedly not enough).

He should have searched better, dept should have trained him better, dept should have had more money to train him better, and on and on

guy should have had the gun, buddy shouldn't have bought it for him, gun store shouldn't have sold it to the buddy if he had known that what was going to happen, gun store owner shouldn't have had a license to sell guns, manufactures shouldn't deal with people like him and on and on.

I'm just wondering how she landed on the gun store as the place to sue is all.

Someone educate me.

[Sry0fcr]

I'm just wondering how she landed on the gun store as the place to sue is all.

Someone educate me.

Pretty simple really, the gun store owner has money.

[andre3k]

I know/knew both parties involved. Rodney was a friend and I worked with his wife who is filing the lawsuit. The department provides imo plenty of training in regards to officer safety and issues like that. But since he was killed shes been on a rampage looking to blame everyone else for his death. She also petitioning the dept to install bullet resistant cages in patrol cars.:rolleyes:
If Rodney was alive today he would take full responsibility for not properly searching the prisoner. He wouldn't blame anybody except for himself. Its sad that everybody that knew him would say that except for his wife. The last sentence of that article might be a possible reason for this whole crusade.

[CarlosDJackal]

Not trying to speak ill of a slain officer, but he should have done a better search of the suspect before he was placed in the patrol car.

This is a different issue than the supposed straw purchase that occured. I do agree that it sounds like the Officer (may he Rest in Peace) screwed up in searching the perp, the fact of the matter is the Gun Store employee who supposedly allowed the illegal purchase to occur is also culpable.

I know a Gun Shop owner who is currently in Federal Prison because one of his employees did the exact same thing multiple times. Unfortunately for the FFL holder, the customers were all undercover ATF Agents.

[ZDL]

Pretty simple really, the gun store owner has money.

What? More money than the other targets I listed? Come on.

[ZDL]

I know/knew both parties involved. Rodney was a friend and I worked with his wife who is filing the lawsuit. The department provides imo plenty of training in regards to officer safety and issues like that. But since he was killed shes been on a rampage looking to blame everyone else for his death. She also petitioning the dept to install bullet resistant cages in patrol cars.:rolleyes:
If Rodney was alive today he would take full responsibility for not properly searching the prisoner. He wouldn't blame anybody except for himself. Its sad that everybody that knew him would say that except for his wife. The last sentence of that article might be a possible reason for this whole crusade.

Tough to fully understand what she is going through. In her mind her husband was perfect, strong, and invincible. So his death could never, even partially, be his own fault . It's easy to see why she is reacting the way she has. Terrible loss.

[lowprone]

And some relative put in touch with a lawyer, who smells blood uses her dead husband as a way to enrich himself. The parasite

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Uhmm, nobody blamed Juan, the perp, yet. If not him, how about the system that lets illegal alien child molesters back in the country? Kill a cop and no death penalty? Me thinks that stinks of the Mex-ioso govt complaining about us sending their trouble makers to the big Burrito in the sky when they kill and rape our citizens. I say fly him back to Mexico, but save fuel and just push him out at 15,000 feet. (Nice balance of not loosing concousness, but a lot of time to contemplate.)

Carter's is there off the south side of 10 near the IKEA and that bar that squeezes the oranges for screwdrivers? That was a nice place, lots of sweet shotguns.

Sad story, I hope the lady finds peace. She may just end up with a piece of a gun store, which would be ironic.

[dtheman]

I personally witnessed this kind of behavior by an officer during a ride along (failing to search a suspect driving a unknown vehicle-no plates and VIN failed to register with the system). The cop handcuffed the guy and put him in the car without searching him, he was wearing a shirt about 3 sizes to large. Search of the car resulted in a 12in bowie knife, 9mm round found and .223 round found. Man also had prior domestic convictions that forbid him from carrying any weapons. They searched him an hour after he had been detained. They are countless other errors, too many to list that most LEO on here would scream about (letting the guy call a friend to pick the vehicle up, not to mention it was filled to the brim with possible stolen goods and was identified by a fellow officer as being used in a smash and grab, etc.etc.etc.) Unbelievable to say the least.

The perp is to blame, outside of evidence that the store was complicit in selling the firearms illegally. The widow has my deepest sympathies, but she must get past this anger stage of mourning. It was the notorious Brady Campaign that was started by the wife of Jim Brady after he was shot during the assassination attempt against Reagan.

[thopkins22]

Carter's is there off the south side of 10 near the IKEA and that bar that squeezes the oranges for screwdrivers?

That's one of them, I can think of at least three locations though...which is why it's hard for me to believe that they were intentionally making illegal sales, their business certainly wasn't hurting.

I would wager that a huge percentage of gun sales in Houston belongs to them.

[Iraqgunz]

It's terrible that this officer died. However, allowing any suspect into your vehicle or detaining someone for a period of time and not searching them is a recipe for disaster. It has happened so many times and yet it still happens.

I also find it hard to believe that the perp didn't get the death penalty. The blame here lies with the perp and the officer for not following standard procedures. Also, I am curious as to what proof there is that the store in question knew that there was a "straw purchase" happening? Is this based upon the perps testimony, the gun store employee, video surveillance?

[randolph]

carter's country is the single largest gun dealer in the USA, or was before wal-mart started selling guns... :p
Bill Carter is LOADED, she's knows to go go after...


andre3k,
I am truly sorry for the loss of your friend, he seemed like a great officer and friend. I also hope Ms. Johnson can find some peace and allow Rodney to rest with dignity...

[Oscar 319]

I know/knew both parties involved. Rodney was a friend and I worked with his wife who is filing the lawsuit. The department provides imo plenty of training in regards to officer safety and issues like that. But since he was killed shes been on a rampage looking to blame everyone else for his death. She also petitioning the dept to install bullet resistant cages in patrol cars.:rolleyes:
If Rodney was alive today he would take full responsibility for not properly searching the prisoner. He wouldn't blame anybody except for himself. Its sad that everybody that knew him would say that except for his wife. The last sentence of that article might be a possible reason for this whole crusade.

Sorry for the loss of your friend.


Juan Quintero, a Mexican citizen, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison for shooting Johnson in the head while sitting in the back seat of the officer's patrol car.

"This man was a child molester. He'd been deported. He shouldn't have been in possession of a gun," said Johnson.

An ILLEGAL allien, CHILD MOLESTER in possession of a firearm.

It is hoped Juan is raped in prison daily before he goes to hell.

They should also hold the person who made the straw purchase of the handgun for a piece of shit convicted felon, illegal allien child molester responsible for the death of Officer Rodney.

As for the gun store....if it was an obvious straw purchase, they deserve an ass kicking too.

[cobra90gt]

... what proof there is that the store in question knew that there was a "straw purchase" happening? Is this based upon the perps testimony, the gun store employee, video surveillance?...


Very good point - it definitely would be interesting to know what the slain officer's wife's lawyer "knows" about the above.



...They should also hold the person who made the straw purchase of the handgun for a piece of shit convicted felon, illegal allien child molester responsible for the death of Officer Rodney...


Agreed. Would be nice to see the prosecutor's office file on Juan's buddy.



RIP brother:

http://www.odmp.org/officer/18510-officer-rodney-joseph-johnson


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

Biographical Info
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 5913

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, September 21, 2006
Weapon Used: Handgun; 9 mm
Suspect Info: Convicted of capital murder

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 drivers 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 in the backseat was able to move his hands to his front, retrieve a concealed handgun, and then 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.

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. 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.

[Renegade]

As for the gun store....if it was an obvious straw purchase, they deserve an ass kicking too.

There is so much fail here, and the gun store is way at the end of the line and is probably not culpable. The criminal shot him. Someone else illegally transferred the gun to him. The thug was deported and snuck back into the country. Dozens of people probably knew he was a criminal and did nothing.

[variablebinary]

She should and thousands of others should file a class action lawsuit against the federal government for not providing sufficient border security which would have prevented this whole situation from happening

It's too bad we have another dead cop illustrating how our shitty our border and illegal policies really are.

[Solomon]

Pretty simple really, the gun store owner has money.

Using this follow-the-cash logic, one can also make the argument that Americans should not have to pay slavery reparations for being on the buying end of the slave trade. Let's see how this works out for her.