Canton police knew before the killing that the man was a suspect in the Indiana shooting

Less than 24 hours earlier than a Canton Township man, allegedly opened fire outside his homeHe was accused of shooting a woman who was driving with her two children on an Indiana highway, according to court records.

A Canton Township police officer went to Devereaux Johnson’s home on August 9 and saw a man matching Johnson’s description driving the gray Audi involved in the shooting earlier that day on Interstate 94 in Chesterton, Indiana, according to a statement of probable cause. in the Indiana case.

Police saw Johnson park and enter his home, but they did not speak to him, according to the probable cause statement. Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh said it took Indiana State Police time to find probable cause in the case and obtain a warrant, which meant they arrived at Johnson’s home on August 9 “not at the time were able to take police action.”

On August 10, as 35-year-old Nathan Morris was walking with his family through his Canton Township neighborhood, Johnson reportedly became angry because Morris’ daughter touched his mulch and shot Morris, killing him.

Johnson was charged on August 12 with first-degree murder for being a felon in possession of a firearm and having two counts of firearms offenses. At his arraignment, Canton Police Officer Kyle Fite said Johnson was a danger to society and had previous attacks on other neighbors, police officers and city employees.

His attorney, Wade McCann, declined to comment.

According to police reports from the Canton Police Department, Johnson had numerous run-ins with police in the two and a half years leading up to Morris’ murder.

“Our organization and community have been very aware of Mr. Johnson just from the number of interactions we’ve had with him,” Baugh said. “It is important now to know that we are there for the community. This was a terrible event and when the time is right after the legal proceedings, I would like to speak about this in more detail.”

Prior police involvement

Johnson was charged last year with assault and battery, and with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a police officer. The crime was dismissed by prosecutors. Johnson pleaded guilty to assault and battery and was sentenced to a year of probation, from which he was released in July.

He was convicted of sexual assault in Nevada in 2005 and is on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

In April 2022, Johnson called police and said a man was staring at him at Planet Fitness while he was on the treadmill, and according to the police report, he had also done this on another day. Johnson said he did not speak to the man but called police because he did not want a confrontation.

The man told police Johnson was the one staring at him. Video showed the two men having a conversation the first day they met. On the second day, when police were called, the man never approached Johnson, but Johnson demanded that the front desk staff call police, the report said.

In June 2023, Johnson was arrested for simple assault and battery. The report involved a man who attacked someone working near his home with a shovel, later identified as Johnson. According to the police report, police found Johnson upset as he walked down the street.

Johnson allegedly approached them on foot and asked to speak to them about an incident the week before, which infuriated Johnson, according to the report. The man called someone else to help de-escalate the situation because he was “aware that Johnson could become agitated,” the police report said. Johnson demanded an apology, and the man complied, saying he was sorry Johnson felt threatened.

Johnson became increasingly irritated and made statements about how his friends wanted to come to town to address the issue. The man said Johnson was holding a sod cutter, which he threw at their truck, according to the police report. The man fled because it was clear that Johnson wanted to fight.

Johnson allegedly followed the man as he left in the truck, yelling at him. He allegedly punched another man in the face three times, and the man grabbed the sod cutter and used it to get Johnson to back away, the report said.

Johnson allegedly told police: “I could have killed him though, because he picked up the shovel, and I told him to come, so he came and I went and got him.” …I would have taken that one (referring to the shovel) and would have killed them, so you should be thanking me now, those white boys who are alive because of me.

Less than two weeks before the shooting, Johnson went to the Canton Police Department to handle his sex offender registration. A police officer served him a personal protection order that someone had filed against him and he became irate and argumentative in the station lobby, shouting profanities and calling people racist, according to the police report detailing the incident.

Canton police also provided The News with two police reports that were completely redacted, noting that releasing them would disrupt the ongoing police investigation and deprive Johnson of his right to a fair trial.

Baugh declined to say what these cases were related to. Police have asked the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to file charges in one of the cases, but the case remains under investigation.

Indiana shooting

Johnson was charged on October 18 in Porter County, Indiana, on the state’s northwest side, with aggravated battery creating a substantial risk of death, battery with a deadly weapon, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, and unlawful possession of a firearm. by a serious violent felon and criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon

He allegedly shot and injured a woman in another vehicle on Interstate 94 in Chesterton, Indiana, at 1:18 p.m. on August 9, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by State Police Detective Ala’a Gamed of Indiana. A witness said he saw a man, later identified as Johnson, shoot five to six times at a woman and her two children who passed him. Johnson reportedly fled after the shooting.

The woman told police that Johnson was in front of her and continued to brake hard to “slow her down.” She moved to another lane to pass him, but when she tried to pass him, he accelerated and began shooting at her, according to the probable cause affidavit. She was shot in the leg.

A Canton police officer drove to Johnson’s home at 8:30 PM on August 9 and saw someone matching Johnson’s description pull up to the car and park the car. Indiana State Police say he was involved in the shooting. The vehicle’s owner, who lived with Johnson, said Johnson had her vehicle all day on August 9 as he drove from Chicago to Michigan.

Fifield said Canton police went to Johnson’s home because they asked. They did not know who the driver of the car was because the registered owner was a woman, and had to do their due diligence to confirm the driver, Fifield said. Once they confirmed Johnson was the driver, they had to wait for the warrant to be signed, he said.

“Unfortunately, things don’t happen in half an hour like they do on TV,” Fifield said. “That’s what people expect. …I know the Canton Police Department is making a fuss about it, but what are you supposed to do? They cannot ask our judge to hurry, they have no idea where we are with the investigation.”

Baugh said it took time for Indiana State Police to find probable cause and obtain their arrest warrant, which led to the delay in Johnson’s arrest. Charges weren’t approved in Indiana until October 18, but Johnson was being held without bail in Wayne County, so there was no rush.

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