Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said Timothy L. Johnston, 39, of Cedar Hill was shot and killed by deputies this morning, March 4, in the 8100 block of Old Hwy. 21 north of Hillsboro.
Deputies shot Johnston after he allegedly fired a gun at them following hours of negotiation outside the home on Old Hwy. 21. Johnston was pronounced dead at an area hospital, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Marshak said no deputies were injured in the shooting.
The Sheriff’s Office also reported that the incident appeared to be random, and Johnston had no connection to the residents or the home where the incident began.
The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine the official cause of death. Investigators believe six deputies returned fire after Johnston allegedly shot at them, but the investigation was still ongoing this afternoon, the report said.
“According to a family member, he had a drug problem and had made suicidal statements,” Marshak said of Johnston. “When notification was made to one of the family members, they were not surprised.”
Deputies were called at about 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, to the home because the man was banging on the door. When deputies arrived, the man pointed a handgun at his own head, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies with crisis intervention training and members of the Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team and the Mental Health Crisis Response Team were called to the area.
Marshak said during negotiations with the man, he walked back and forth along Old Hwy. 21, covering approximately a half-mile stretch.
After midnight, the man allegedly shot at deputies, who returned fire. The man was struck and later pronounced dead at an area hospital, the report said.
“From the first responding officers to the trained mental health advisers, everyone was working toward a peaceful resolution,” Marshak said. “Crisis negotiators and the Mental Health Crisis Response Teams deal with hundreds of these calls every year, but only when they result in a shooting do we discuss the complicated nature of the work needed to resolve them. I thank the professionals who volunteer to respond to crises in the middle of the night to resolve these situations. Many of these incidents are further complicated by drug use, and while it will take some time for toxicology results, there are suggestions that drug use might have been a factor.”
Old Hwy. 21 was shut down between the Schenk Road exit and Tower Road during the negotiations with the man and the investigation following the shooting. The Sheriff’s Office reported the highway was reopened at about 8:10 a.m.
Investigators recovered a handgun near the man who was shot. They also found multiple firearms in a vehicle the man is believed to have driven to the home, according to the report.
Marshak said the investigation was interrupted at times due to overnight rain.
“Crime scenes are volatile, and this one was hampered by strong winds and precipitation,” he said. “Our Crime Scene Unit professionals are very meticulous, as they should be. Despite the conditions, I’m confident they did an excellent job.”
Marshak said the deputies who shot at the man have been placed on administrative leave.
“Officers forced to make lethal decisions carry some mental weight most people won’t understand,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure we provide every resource available to assist them with that process from beginning to end. The resolution is different for each officer, but we are committed to doing everything needed to make them whole again. The officers are currently on standard administrative leave, which provides time for debriefing, interviews, investigation and mental health follow-ups.”
Original story: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed a man who allegedly shot at officers early this morning, March 4, after hours of negotiations near a home in the 8100 block of Old Hwy. 21 north of Hillsboro, Sheriff Dave Marshak said.
The man died at an area hospital, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Authorities have not released the man’s age or name.
“According to a family member, he had a drug problem and had made suicidal statements,” Marshak said of the man who was fatally shot. “When notification was made to one of the family members, they were not surprised.”
Marshak said no deputies were injured in the shooting. He said investigators believe six different deputies shot at the man, but the investigation was still ongoing this morning.
Deputies were called at about 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, to the home on Old Hwy. 21 because the man was banging on a door of a home. When deputies arrived, the man pointed a handgun at his head, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies with crisis intervention training and members of the Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team and Mental Health Crisis Response Team were called to the area. Marshak said the man walked back and forth along Old Hwy. 21, covering approximately a half-mile stretch.
After midnight, the man allegedly shot at deputies, who returned fire. The man was struck and later pronounced dead at an area hospital, the report said.
“From the first responding officers to the trained mental health advisors, everyone was working towards a peaceful resolution,” Marshak said. “Crisis negotiators and the Mental Health Crisis Response Teams deal with hundreds of these calls every year, but only when they result in a shooting do we discuss the complicated nature of the work needed to resolve them. I thank the professionals that volunteer to respond to crisis in the middle of the night to resolve these situations. Many of these incidents are further complicated by drug use, and while it will take some time for toxicology results, there are suggestions that drug use might have been a factor.”
Old Hwy. 21 was shut down between the Schenk Road exit and Tower Road during the negotiations with the man and the investigation following the shooting. The Sheriff’s Office reported the highway was reopened at about 8:10 a.m.
Investigators recovered a handgun near the man who was shot. They also found multiple firearms in a vehicle that the man was believed to have driven to the home, according to the report.
Marshak said the investigation was interrupted at times due to overnight rain.
“Crime scenes are volatile, and this one was hampered by strong winds and precipitation,” he said. “Our Crime Scene Unit professionals are very meticulous, as they should be. Despite the conditions, I’m confident they did an excellent job.”
Marshak said the deputies who shot at the man have been placed on administrative leave.
“Officers forced to make lethal decisions carry some mental weight most people won’t understand,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure we provide every resource available to assist them with that process from beginning to end. The resolution is different for each officer, but we are committed to doing everything needed to make them whole again. The officers are currently on standard administrative leave, which provides time for debriefing, interviews, investigation and mental health follow-ups.”