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Retired Missouri police captain says Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson “changed me as a person”
Ten years ago, the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, Jr., an 18-year-old Black man, in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked tense protests and unrest. Brown’s death helped fuel the national debate about policing and race.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson was in charge of leading law enforcement efforts to stop violence and keep the peace in Ferguson after the deadly Aug. 9, 2014, shooting.
“I think that the partnership between law enforcement and the leadership of this community continue to come together to not allow the agitators and that criminal element to define the protests,” Johnson told CBS News’ Vladimir Duthiers in 2014 after days of demonstrations.
In a new CBS special, “13 DAYS IN FERGUSON,” the now-retired police captain reunites with his longtime friend Cedric the Entertainer, who grew up near Ferguson, to memorialize Brown and reflect on the aftermath of the police shooting. Watch the special on Friday, Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS or stream it on Paramount+.
Reliving Ferguson a decade later
“Some of our lives have purpose as we walk this Earth, and some of our lives have purpose when we’re not here,” said Johnson as he and Cedric the Entertainer read a plaque in Brown’s honor. The moving moment was featured in the CBS documentary.
Johnson told “CBS Mornings” on Friday that visiting Brown’s memorial and other notable scenes made him relive those days in Ferguson.
“Going back was reliving it all over. It was like it hadn’t been 10 years. It was kind of like getting up that first morning and going out to the scene in Ferguson. So it’s changed my life. It’s changed me as a person, and it’s made me better,” Johnson said.
A decade later, Johnson believes Brown’s death continues to be a catalyst for change but said there still needs to be more progress on improving police and community relations.
“I think we’ve made some steps and we’ve gotten better, but we still have a ways to go. We still see things in our country that exist today and still happen today, so we’ve got a ways to go but we’ve gotten better,” Johnson added.
In the documentary, Johnson sits down with Michael Brown, Sr. for the first time. Reflecting on his time as Ferguson’s security chief, Johnson said his first initiative as a leader should have been offering his condolences to Brown’s parents.
“It is one of my biggest regrets,” said Johnson, adding that he has had to learn to forgive himself for not speaking to Brown’s parents earlier.
The face of Ferguson police
Rick Wilking/Reuters
Johnson, who had close ties to the Ferguson community, knew that he would be responsible for helping ensure the protests remained peaceful following the fatal 2014 shooting. But he wasn’t expecting to be the face of Ferguson’s law enforcement at the time.
“Never did a dream that I would be put in charge of Ferguson that day,” Johnson told “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Gayle King, adding that he never questioned “Why me?”
It was a bumpy road for Johnson, who represented the police but also wanted to march alongside protesters at the same time.
“Then you start asking yourself, ‘What is your place? Who are you? Has this uniform made you who you thought you were — or was it the color of your skin?” Johnson explained.
He was seen marching with protesters, listening to their concerns and even hugging some of them while leading law enforcement efforts. In a 2014 interview, Johnson told Duthiers that he had no fear and he believed they were heading toward peace.
“A lot of the people that were on the streets of Ferguson looked like me. I can’t fear myself, and so that was the attitude that I took. I see myself in many of these people that are walking the streets…and many of them I’ve known,” Johnson said.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.