A man who fatally shot a Detroit police officer at a suburban apartment complex during a 2019 domestic violence incident pleaded no contest Friday to manslaughter charges, prosecutors said.
Eddie Ray Jr. Johnson, of Garden City, Michigan, was originally charged with first-degree murder and felonious use of a firearm in the June 2019 killing of Detroit police Sergeant Johnson. Elaine Williams.
But Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy said Friday that Johnson pleaded no contest to the manslaughter charge under a plea agreement that calls for a three-year suspended sentence and dismisses the felony firearm charge. His sentencing is scheduled for June 14th.
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“If the court finds a violation, the penalty is a minimum sentence of 57 months, a maximum of 95 months, and a maximum of 15 years,” Worthy’s office said in a news release.
This photo is a bird’s eye view of downtown Detroit. (St. Petersburg)
Prosecutors said Johnson and Williams, 34, were domestic partners when they returned home drunk from a bar on June 2, 2019, and a neighbor heard the two arguing before multiple gunshots were heard. He said he heard him doing it.
Officers found Mr. Williams shot to death inside the residence and Mr. Johnson suffering from a gunshot wound. He told Garden City police he shot Williams “during a scuffle after she shot him once,” the news release said.
All shell casings found at the scene were fired from a .40-caliber pistol issued to Williams as part of his job as a sergeant with the Detroit Police Department.
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“In this case, both parties were shot with the same gun, so there are many interpretations of the sequence of events,” Worthy said. “We believe this is the appropriate resolution given our burden of proof. The decision to enter this plea to this defendant was not what we had hoped for, but it is the right course of action.” was.”
