Dion Johnson supporters push for trooper’s firing
Family’s lawyer says investigation report raises more questions about shooting
Family and supporters of Dion Johnson, the 28-year-old fatally shot by a Department of Public Safety trooper, continued their push for the firing of Trooper George Cervantes one day after Phoenix police released the criminal investigation into the Memorial Day shooting.
In a press conference Thursday morning, attorney Jocquese Blackwell said the report left both he and Johnson’s family with more questions than answers.
He noted inconsistencies in the report, including that a trooper watching the live ADOT stream never said he saw Cervantes return to his motorcycle after approaching Johnson’s passenger door and before approaching the driver door, which Cervantes said happened during an interview with investigators detailed in the report.
Blackwell, continuing what he and Johnson’s family have been asking for weeks, questioned why it took so long for Johnson to receive medical treatment after being shot.
The report released on Wednesday said a call requesting an ambulance was made at 5:38 a.m., and the ambulance arrived five minutes later, though traffic footage showed the ambulance sitting near the scene for several minutes before crews transported Johnson. He arrived at HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center at 5:58 a.m., the report said.
Blackwell additionally questioned Cervantes’ decision to approach Johnson from the driver’s side, which was facing traffic, and if he was concerned for his safety.
Furthermore, he asked why there was no mention of Cervantes giving commands to Johnson prior to the shooting.
Though several witnesses described a struggle between Johnson and Cervantes, Blackwell said Cervantes’ self-proclaimed fear for his safety and subsequent shooting was unwarranted because Johnson was unarmed.
Calls for Cervantes’ firing, special session
Johnson’s mother, Erma Johnson, spoke at the press conference and said she was “happy” to get the report.
Like Blackwell, Johnson still had questions after reading the 160-page report.
“Why is he (Cervantes) still out there trying to protect and serve our community?” Johnson said. “He’s not a nice guy. To me, he wanted to be a hero on that day and instead of being a hero, he murdered my son and treated him very cruelly.”
Johnson said she’s been “suffering” since her son’s death, adding that her family is in “tremendous pain.”
Janelle Wood, with the Black Mothers Forum, said that neither Johnson nor any other mother should have to bury their child.
“We (the Black Mothers Forum) came into being for mothers ... to make sure that our children, our Black sons and daughters, are no longer used for target practice, are no longer seen as monsters, are no longer seen as a threat,” she said.
Wood said Johnson was “minding his own business” and that Cervantes failed to follow his protocol, leading to what Woods called an unjustified shooting.
“I am so tired of hearing police officers ... tell somebody, ‘I was afraid,’” she said. “If you’re so afraid, take your scared behind off the streets. I don’t need people in our community that are scared of us.”
Wood said she would volunteer to have law enforcement call her in cases involving Black people if they are uncomfortable or scared to approach the person themselves, in the hopes of preventing another death at the hands of law enforcement.
Blackwell then spoke again, pushing for Gov. Doug Ducey to call a special Senate session to pass a bill that would grant the DPS $4.8 million for bodyworn cameras.
The bill, which would finance the cameras and staff to handle the footage, passed the state House unanimously. Before the state Senate could hear the bill, legislative activity was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blackwell asked Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel to consider Johnson’s family and public safety as the office reviews the case, also calling for the County Attorney’s Office to have “transparency” during the process.
He and several others who spoke at the news conference additionally called on DPS Director Heston Silbert to fire Cervantes.
‘He’s not a hashtag’
Camile Landrum, Johnson’s sister, cried as she spoke about the details from the police report, which said her brother told Cervantes “you ain’t gotta do all that” when he threatened to shoot him.
She said her brother “wasn’t perfect,” but added, “this officer wasn’t either.”
The Republic is in the process of acquiring Cervantes’ personnel file from the DPS.
Landrum called Cervantes a “monster,” adding that it’s “ridiculous” that her unarmed brother died at his hands.
Tremikus Muhammad, with Phoenix Local Organizing Committee for Justice or Else, closed the news conference by saying Johnson’s humanity is getting “lost in the narrative.”
He echoed calls for Cervantes to be fired.
“We’re tired of the same narrative happening over and over and over again,” he said. “We’re tired of police and law enforcement protecting their officers when they’re supposed to protect and serve us.”
Muhammad said the police report shouldn’t “hold the weight on whether or not the truth has been told” and called for the public to continue putting pressure on the involved agencies for answers about the shooting.
“He’s not a hashtag, he’s not a t-shirt — he’s a real human being who deserved to live and we have not been given a justified reason yet for his death,” Muhammad said.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as of Wednesday said it was still reviewing the case. The FBI is also reviewing the case to see what, if any, federal response is required.