An investigation by the Ventura County District Attorney’s office concludes that the October, 2018 shooting death of a man armed with a knife by County Sheriff’s deputies was justified.
It started with deputies responding to East Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks over reports of a pickup truck crashing into a fence by the side of the road. Officers say they found Michael Johnson standing next to the truck with a knife in his hand.
They say he was cutting himself. The deputies repeatedly ordered the 28 year old man to drop the knife, but Johnson refused. Video from the deputies body cameras then shows him advancing towards the deputies with the knife.
They used a beanbag gun to try to stop him, and when they failed the officers started backing up. As he continued to advance, they opened fire, fatally injuring Johnson. The 44 page report concludes deputies were justified in shooting Johnson.
