Cops Defend Shooting 92-Year-Old Woman

Elderly Atlanta Woman Dies After Shootout With Cops, Who Say She Shot At Them First

(CBS/AP)  A police official said narcotics officers were justified in returning fire on a 92-year-old woman they shot to death after she shot them as they tried to serve a warrant at her house.

Neighbors and relatives said it was a case of mistaken identity, but Atlanta police say there was no mistake concerning the address of the house, reports CBS Radio News' Pete Combs.

Police added that the woman, identified as Kathryn Johnston, was the only resident in the house at the time and had lived there for about 17 years.

"I'm mad as hell! The neighbors know where the drugs are — ask the neighbors!" Johnston's niece, Sarah Dozier, shouted to reporters.

"My aunt was in good health. I'm sure she panicked when they kicked that door down," Dozier told WAGA-TV, adding that there were no drugs in the house. "There was no reason they had to go in there and shoot her down like a dog."

Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant and "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in shooting once they were fired upon.

As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., "as we have it right now, the female opened fire on the officers. The officers returned fire, and struck and killed her," Dreher said.

One of the police officers was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder. The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all three were conscious and alert, police said.

"They killed her, they shot her down like a dog, and I'm upset," Dozier said. "Somebody is going to answer to it, 'cause I'm going to sue like hell! I'm going to sue like hell! Let Atlanta know that."

Rev. Markel Hutchins, a civil rights leader, said Johnston's family deserves an apology.

"Of the police brutality cases we've had, this is the most egregious because of the woman's age," Hutchins said.

Hutchins said he would try to meet with Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington and would also meet with lawyers.

[babydoll2ky]

Justified????? Why did they shoot to kill. They should have shot just disable like they are supposed. I hope the family does sue for everything she could. A 92 year old woman. How sad are the police anyway!

[olebd]

She may have thought they were intruders and was protecting herself. Who knows.

I hope the cops were not this dumb. Don't they do surveillance on these places for a couple weeks before they do a bust?

They knock before entering for about 3 seconds. Certianly not enough time for a 92 year old to answer the door.

I just can't believe or comprehend a 92 year old being involved in the drug trade.

[rafterman1]

There are three cops with bullet wounds. Enough said, they defended themselves, I don't care if she was 150 years old. Would it had been better if one of the cops died? Would that make everyone feel better? And don't be shocked to see a 92 year old in the drug trade. The drug runners will use anybody to further their trade - kids, animals and 92 year olds.

And this "shoot to disable" *** is only in the movies. In real life, if you are going to fire a weapon, you shoot to kill. Otherwise, chances are you will be the one dying.

[quirky121]

If she infact wounded three police officers, she should have caught one right between the eyes! you don't answer the door with a gun in your hand especially if the police are on the other side telling you that they have a warrant. If she lived in a neighborhood where it's advisable to answer a door with a gun, she should have moved or her niece, Sarah Dozier, who beleives she's hit the jackpot now, should have moved her. I feel sorry for the officers that ended up with lead in their bodies!

[hawkjoel]

It's easy to say "Shoot to disable" when you are not involved and sitting at your desk reading it in a safe haven. HOWEVER, you strap on that gun and that vest and go into the street and live the life of a police officer, and get fired at. Let's see how you respond, especially after three of your fellow officers are hit.

If she is shooting to kill, after they knocked and identified themselves as serving a warrant, why can't they shoot to kill?

[prcdr]

Police aren't trained to shoot to disable. They are trained to shoot for center mass, which often results in a kill.

Hollywood has given the false impression that it is easy to "shoot to disable or shoot the gun out of someone's hand".

[mdc76082]

We had an elderly grandma selling herion in San Antonio. Face it, she was served the warrant, probably did the drugs, she shot at police officers hitting them and they shot back killing her. Good for the police officers. Now it will become nothing but a race card. Here we go again. Jeez!

[thursday24]

The police were wrong in returning fire just because she was 92? Give me a break! She was able enough to pull a trigger and wound three officers - they had every right to return fire!! I would have shot the ***** too!!

[rafterman1]

I also find it interesting that the family's first reaction is who can they sue. Like the one poster here said, apparently they the jackpot.

I mean, don't get me wrong. Yes, I understand that it's possible the cops were wrong and she thought they were robbers. And yes, I understand that the African American community has a heightened sense of fear from cops since the history of cops vs the African American community isn't to kind to them. So she could have thought she was going to get killed or beaten, even if she knew they were cops. I get all of that.

But, as usual, the first reaction of people is to dump on the cops despite the fact three of them got wounded.

[tinker3478]

If I were an old lady and a bunch of people were trying to knock down my door after dark, I would shoot too. On the other hand, if I were a cop and somebody was shooting at me, I would shoot back. It looks like the PD did a ****-poor job of making an address identification though.

[thursday24]

I guess if she went out and murdered a bunch of people that would be ok too because, you know, she is 92. Wake up!

[sstuff3]

Age doesn't matter.... the police face threats every day and have to make split second decisions which make the difference between life and death (theirs or someone else). If someone is shooting at them , they don't have time to think or care about what the public opinion is... no time to care about age, race, or any other segregating description. God bless our police and stop subjecting them to scrutiny every time something happens that the general public doesn't like. If you tie the hands of the police, the only ones who will win are the criminals.... what would America look like then??
Not a place I want to live.

[tinker3478]

Well, thurs, let me put it this way. There's a 12 guage shotgun in a coat closet about 3 feet from my front door loaded with double-ought buckshot. Try busting down my front door and see what happens.

[pima6]

rev. how is this "police brutality"? they knocked, they announced themselves, she shot 3 police officers. what are they to do? "oh, wait guys, we have to let her kill us because she's 92" horsesh1t. whats her niece suing for? its clear she just wants money. and of course theyll make this about race...

[richdog_57]

All I have to say, is that it was self-defense on the police officers' side. All they did was return fire.

[turneriver]

Alternative headline...92yo drug dealer guns down 3 cops...Not that I support the drug war, it's a collossally misplaced effort with terrible consequences for our society...as witness here...

I wonder if this woman's niece is the same one who sued McDonalds because the coffee cup didn't say, "Caution: Extremely Hot" when she burned herself.

Bad error re: the address, but that doesn't warrant police being shot at. 92 or not -- who cares?

[jetlizhan]

pima6

I couldn't have said it better myself - thanks for writing verbatim what I would have

[cnelliott80]

If police are serving a warrant at a drug house- trust me- they make it well known before just busting in. She fired upon three officers, wounding them. Why does it matter what her age was?? She still fired at a cop and I guess if she would have killed one of them, these people that are suing would be happier. The cops have every right to return fire once they are fired upon. They don't have time to check the age of the person. That is insane. It takes a brave soul to be a law enforcement officer and be under the stress they endure everyday. It is easy to criticize when you go to work everyday behind the comfort of walls. Stop using race as an excuse. Regardless, this lady shot 3 officers.

[tonnie45]

This is not about race. The police identified themselves, before going in. 3 were shot, and it is police brutality to shoot back? Give me a break people!!! If someone were shooting at you and you had a gun wouldn't you shoot back?
I don't care how old you are, don't pull out a gun and start shooting, and then expect nothing to happen.

[peterbaldwin-2009]

This 92 year old lady was apparently spooked by what she might have seen as an after dark breakin/home invasion. What is significant is that there is nothing about the police finding drugs in the home or that she was a drug dealer.

Like the dead bodies in New Orleans recovered months later, her death is greeted with a resounding yawn.

Why? She, too, is guilty of being black in America. But when someone uses the n-word, the white community goes nuts - to demonstrate how much they care.

[tonnie45]

Give me a break!!!! All about race all the time. I am sick of that card being played.

[aeasus]

How in the heck is it possible for a 92 year old lady to shoot 3 trained officers and only flesh wounds on each of them?

Think about this. She's 92 Y.O. and scared to death cause 3 strangers (plain clothes police) she don't know are banging on her door after dark! She so scared she can't stop shaking and refuses to answer the door because of fear. Suddenly the door gets kicked in and there they are. Fortunetly she has a gun nearby (lightweight pistol I guess) and even though she's shaking with fear she's able to steady her 92 Y.O. hands enough to aim and pull the trigger. Not only was she able to perform such a devestating feet for a lady her age but she was able to do it 3 times and only induse non-fatal wounds. I am assuming of course that she only used 3 bullets to hit all 3 officers. That would make her a pretty good shot for a 92 Y.O. lady. Wonder where she practiced at? How long does it take a 92 Y.O. to non-fataly aim and fire 3 rounds? Luckily the 3 officers only recieved flesh wounds before they decided to do something and fataly shot her. I'm guessing the officers couldn't have approached her house during normal daylight hours with uniforms on so they could be easily identified by an old lady wearing glasses because they were doing this on there way home after a busy day. I'm wondering if a 92 Y.O. even heard or saw the officers until they were in her house!!! There appears to be to many holes in this story for me to believe it's not a cover-up or entirely fictitious!

[gramto7]

I have to say that if my 92-year-old grandmother (and I do indeed have one) shot a police officer, I would expect to be going to her funeral. There is reasonable person who does not know that if you shoot a police officer, his or her reaction is to shoot back. And training tells them to shoot to kill because they might not get a second shot.

[whatithink-2009]

It's funny that more people seem to have sympathy for the crazy guy in Waco being shot by police than a 92 year old woman in her own home. Crazy world.

[whatithink-2009]

To Gramto11,

Three police officers in PLAIN CLOTHING breaking down a 92 year old's door who is living alone and you blame her for reacting? I don't get it. What if they had not been police officers? Should she just have prepared tea for them?

[aeasus]

Remember cnelliott80 this is a 1 sided story. So we can't be certain what happened until an investigation is completed.

[whatithink-2009]

There have been plenty of cases of people pretending to be police officers breaking in and attacking people. If someone showed up at my door in the middle of the night without even being dressed like an officer and started to break down my door, I would ask questions later and react first.

I also agree with someone who said that there was no mention of even finding drugs in her place. If you did nothing wrong, WHY would you expect for police to come to your place in the middle of the night and break down your door?

I just can not imagine this happening in a rich neighborhood. Ever.

[adasher1]

YAWN....so the lady got shot after shooting 3 cops, and we (some) claim race was a role, not that it is not sad that she died (3 cops could also have died while trying to make America a better place). What else is new in America today? Would there be outrage if she was of another color? No. The neighbors would be mad at HER for not stopping the drugs to begin with. And don't tell me that these people do not know that drugs are being bought and sold out of their houses....I don't buy it.

[erintippin]

Neither this woman's age nor her race have anything to do with her getting shot and killed. She opened fire on police officers. Does any reasonable person expect the police to NOT respond in kind? Would you feel any different if this had been a 25 year old white man? Or would you be thinking, "That's what happens when you shoot cops."?

[whatithink-2009]

To Adasher1,

In your attempt to get people to stop jumping to conclusions about race, you have just jumped to conclusions about whether there were drugs in the house or not. Nothing in this article says that there were drugs in the house. Are you saying that police don't make mistakes or something?

[dunkenhms]

I think it's hysterical that some people develope their own scenario to justify their feelings. The thing about these kinds of cases is that you can only make a decision based on the information the media gives you. What we all know is that police officers have a justified warrant, they followed procedure, and returned fire after being shot at. Should they have waited until somebody was killed? Would the officers have been justified then to return fire? Consider the fact that this woman prepared herself with a firearm after the officers announced that they were officers and that they had a warrant to search her house. If this had been a 20 year old kid, whose side would you be on then?? It's about time we start supporting our officers and helping them fight injustice. You people make me sick.

[whatithink-2009]

To ErinTippin,

It is not about the issue of whether race had anything to do with her getting killed. It is about whether race (and class, I would add) had anything to do with the approach that police take when handling these type of situations. Whether you like it or not, race and class, do play a role in how people are treated in our society. You are dreaming if you think otherwise.

[erintippin]

whatithink, 7 PM is NOT "the middle of the night".

[aeasus]

Here is my take on what happened.

I bet the warrent was issued do to info given from a compensated informant. (Obviously officers had never been there before) Apparently nothing was ever verified. The drug bust went down bad and a cover-up was put in place.

[whatithink-2009]

To Dunkenhms,

You give police a license to kill and they can do what they want when they want to and it is ALWAYS justifiable???

I don't say there are not good police out there, but police are HUMAN and can make mistakes.

What would have been wrong to come to her place in the middle of the day, dressed like police officers???? Did they think anyone was about to be killed? Did they think someone was in imminent danger??? Did they think that if they had broken down the door immediately they would have been able to stop all drugs from flowing in America???

[whatithink-2009]

To ErinTippin,

7 P.M. in Atlanta in November is about as dark as MIDNIGHT in Atlanta in November. But, I see you take more issue with me than with police officers fatally shooting a 92 year old woman in her own home.

[bbarnes71]

I feel sorry for the women the police officers and there famlies.

I don't think a 92 year old women dealing drugs or not, would shoot it out with police officers.
I don't think even bad cops want to shoot down a
92 year old women.

Bad Procedures hurt everyone involved and there
famlies.

Why sever a warrent when it is dark?
Why sever a warrent not in uniform?
( even if she had been a drug dealer, how would
she know they were not other dealers trying to kill her.)
Were they afraid she might flush the drugs.
Is a few hundred dollars of drugs worth the
lives of the women and police officers.

There is no logical reason to server a warrent
this way.

Age does matter.
When you get old and lose your strenght, you become afraid of someone braking in and hurting
you.
I have a gun locked in a draw where grand kids
can get it. I keep the key on a chain around my neck.

If men not in uniform came to my door and knocked
it open I would shoot them, if they said they
were officers or not.

Anyone can one can say they are police.

[aeasus]

It's a ONE sided story she shot the police!

[whatithink-2009]

To HumanCitizen,

Your anger is highly misplaced. What is racist about saying she is going to sue the police? You make no sense.

[bleakview]

If anyone considers 7 pm to be "the middle of the night," that puts their bedtime at about 3 pm, meaning that they are far too young to be posting on a big people board.

It doesn't matter if someone is rich or homeless, male or female, black, white, or purple, anyone who opens fire on police officers who have identified themselves as police officers (read the article) should expect to be fired upon in return. It also doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, that's simply the way things work at this time in our society. Welcome to the real world.

[binkey3]

Someone said that this wouldn't have happend in a nice white neighborhood well that is just not true. I live in a small town in Ohio and a Grandmother's house was busted for drugs in a nice, rich, mostly white neighborhood. However the Grandmother answered the door when the Police came to invade the drug house and noone was shot at or killed. Because this grandmother did what she was told by the law.

Also, the drugs didn't belong to the grandmother they belonged to her no good grandson. So maybe the drugs at this house belonged to the 92 year olds neice since she is the one who is suing for millions.

[whatithink-2009]

To Bleakview,

Again, there have been plenty of cases of people saying they were police and breaking in to attack people. They were not dressed like police. The woman may not have even heard them say that they were police. I have a 80 year old grandmother and she doesn't hear well when I'm sitting right next to her.

Regarding the time, you can continue on the silly path of making what I said an issue, however, you still have not been able to answer ONE KEY THING. Why could they not have come there during the daytime and have dressed in police uniforms?

[binkey3]

Someone said that this wouldn't have happend in a nice white neighborhood well that is just not true. I live in a small town in Ohio and a Grandmother's house was busted for drugs in a nice, rich, mostly white neighborhood. However the Grandmother answered the door when the Police came to invade the drug house and noone was shot at or killed. Because this grandmother did what she was told by the law.

Also, the drugs didn't belong to the grandmother they belonged to her no good grandson. So maybe the drugs at this house belonged to the 92 year olds neice since she is the one who is suing for millions.

[pensacola8-2009]

I lived in an apartment complex in San Antonio, Texas, and had a despondent neighbor who was a deaf-mute attempting a suicide. He fired the gun twice to test it - prompting a call to the police. The police did come and entered his apartment and told him to drop the gun. Somehow, he managed to understand the police and saved his own life. I beleive this 92 year old woman had fear inside her heart, enough to demonstrate violent propensity by owning a gun and using it. The encounter with the three people at her home was a trap she created with bad judgement, poor education and was not suited to survive such an encounter. I doubt she had any kind of training about how to use her gun wisely and prevent a violent ending. 92 year old citizens need education, too...not guns to solve their problems.

[whatithink-2009]

To Binkey3,

Were the police in police uniforms in this case?
Did they come in the daytime or the evening?

I did say that it would not happen in a rich neighborhood. However, I don't care whether that rich neighborhood was black, white or green.

[whatithink-2009]

To Binkey3,

Where do you see in this article that there were drugs in the house? I've missed this part completely. Is this a fact or some ASSumption that you are making?

[binkey3]

I am not going to fight about what time the police came to the house of a drug dealer. The fact is this happend before and the sad part is that people believe that 7pm in the southern USA is dark. Which it isn't. No one also doesn't want to believe that dectives where plain clothes.

The worst part is that no one wants to believe that anyone can be a drug dealer. People are living longer and still have their mind and body to do things. Quit making excuses for law breakers. White, Black, or Green we all still have to live by the laws that were put in place to keep everyone safe.

[bleakview]

To whatithink,

So if someone points out your error (or obvious attempt to exaggerate the situation to serve your own agenda) it's "silly", yet you feel justified in ranting at the police over a situation in which none of the posters have the full story (including me, and yes, also including you.)

It's not up to me to clarify your "ONE KEY THING." I have no idea how the officers' time was spent that day, or what they were doing instead of serving their warrant at a time more convenient for YOU. Perhaps they were busy extorting cookie money from Girl Scouts or molesting puppies and just couldn't fit shooting a 92 year old woman into their busy schedule until 7 pm.

If this 92 year old black woman had been a virile 22 year old white male, would that have made the police officers any less shot at?

[whatithink-2009]

To Binkey3,

You have just convicted the woman without a trial. You don't know anything about her EXCEPT what you've read in this article. Why is it so hard to believe that police can make a mistake in identity in regards to drug dealing? Are you so desensitized to poor people that you think all are automatically guilty?