Dorian Johnson, the man whose words “Hands up, don’t shoot” became a rallying cry after the killing of Michael Brown in 2014, was shot and killed this past weekend in Ferguson, Missouri, according to CNN.
Police spokesperson Patricia Washington confirmed that Johnson was shot around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 7, at an apartment complex located not far from the site where Brown was killed a decade ago. A suspect was initially taken into custody but later released with no charges filed, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith stated.
“This appears to be a domestic incident involving a claim of self-defense,” Smith explained, noting that the case remains under investigation and additional charges could still be pursued. Authorities also stressed that Johnson’s death was not the result of police action. “There had been earlier rumors that this was an officer-involved shooting however that information is incorrect. No officers, Ferguson or otherwise, were involved in this incident other than to begin our investigation,” Ferguson police clarified.
Johnson was with Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, when Officer Darren Wilson confronted the two young men from his patrol car. A struggle broke out at the window of Wilson’s vehicle, and Brown was shot in the hand. Johnson and Brown ran before Brown turned back, leading to the fatal shots that sparked global outrage. Johnson told investigators that Brown raised his hands in surrender, a version of events that became central to nationwide protests, though other witnesses disputed it.
Regardless of differing accounts, Johnson’s statement evolved into one of the most powerful chants of the Black Lives Matter movement, echoing through marches, rallies, and demonstrations across the country. Even after a grand jury declined to indict Wilson and Brown’s family later reached a wrongful death settlement with Ferguson in 2017, the phrase remained etched into the national memory.
Now, with Johnson’s own life cut short near the same streets where history was made, the tragedy adds another painful chapter to a story that reshaped conversations about race, policing, and justice in America.