When police officer Bryan Johnson radioed in that his police cruiser had been shot at and that he’d crashed into a tree, the news sent panic through the area as schools locked down under the threat of an unknown gunman.
This past Friday, however, local authorities said the officer is now under investigation for lying about the shooting. According to an Associated Press story, the 24-year-old’s motives for lying about the shooting are not clear.
Authorities charged Johnson with four different crimes, including malicious destruction of property and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
The news of Johnson’s mysterious circumstances are a surprise to his colleagues in his Millis (Mass.) police station. Millis police Sgt. William Dwyer said the young officer was promoted from being a dispatcher, a position in which he excelled
I thought he was an excellent dispatcher — well-spoken, physically fit, a great addition to our police department … we were shocked by what happened.
Dwyer, who is the station’s interim chief, was quoted as having said that Johnson’s a “good friend” of his as well as “a good person.”
Johnson’s original story was that he was shot at, crashed his car into a tree and then crawled out of the vehicle as it was engulfed in flames.
A photo of the vehicle shows a considerable amount of damage to the officer’s police cruiser, which appears to be a four-door SUV.
The hood and some side paneling are missing from the front of the car, revealing the vehicle’s engine.
The front left tire is separated from its rim. The body on the driver’s side of the car is charred and discolored from the front wheel well all the way to the back wheel well.
The town of Millis has about 8,000 residents and is located about 25 miles south of Boston. The AP tried to contact a Millis resident named Bryan Johnson but received no answer.
