PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An exchange of gunfire between Longview police and a Seattle man ended with his death Saturday afternoon, the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team said.
The incident unfolded around 2 p.m. when a 911 caller reported a man passed out in an orange Dodge Challenger while in the drive-thru line at Minami Teriyaki in Longview. The staff wasn’t able to wake him up, but medical responders used Narcan to rouse him. Authorities said the man, later identified as Louis Earl Johnson, Jr., then got aggressive, threatened the responders and drove off erratically.
Longview police spotted the Challenger near 15th and Hudson, officials said, and tried to stop him. But he used a variety of techniques to get away — ran a red light, drove at high speeds, slammed on his brakes and put the car in reverse.
When the pursuit got to 19th and Florida, authorities said, Johnson fired multiple times at police, striking the patrol car. Three Longview police officers returned fire, hitting Johnson, who died at the scene. He was 30.
No officers were hurt.
Investigators later determined the gun Johnson used, a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, was a “ghost gun.” It had no serial number. Authorities said Johnson also was wearing a hip holster for the gun.
The investigation into the incident is active and ongoing. The 3 Longview police officers involved have not yet been identified.
Investigators from Kelso PD, Castle Rock PD and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office are in charge of the case, along with 2 community representatives.
No further information is available at this time.
In August, the Supreme Court issued an order that allows regulations of ghost guns to remain in place as the use of ghost guns in crimes has spiked by 1000% since 2017, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
