September 9, 2025
Johnson was one of the main witnesses to Brown’s fatal shooting by white police officer Darren Wilson.
Dorian Johnson, the man who was with Mike Brown when an officer fatally shot him, has died in a shooting.
CNN confirmed Johnson was shot and killed in the early morning of Sept. 7 in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting occurred less than a mile from where Mike Brown, his friend, was killed in 2014. Present at that scene years ago, his account of Brown’s death led to the popular “Hands up, don’t shoot” chant that became one of the sayings of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 33-year-old man’s shooting reportedly took place at a block of apartments. The Ferguson Police Department emphasized that no officers were involved.
“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,” detailed police.
Instead, Melissa Price Smith, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, said that the fatal incident was a proposed act of self-defense. One person was taken into custody but was later released with no charges.
“This appears to be a domestic incident involving a claim of self-defense,” detailed Price Smith.
Johnson leaves behind his own legacy within the start of the Black Lives Matter movement. He was with the 18-year-old Brown when a white police officer, Darren Wilson, pulled up to them in his patrol car.
As tensions escalated between Brown and Wilson, including Brown getting shot in the hand, the duo ran off. However, as Brown came back toward the officer, Wilson fired the fatal shots. While witnesses, including Johnson, had differing accounts of what led to the final gunshots, Brown was unarmed.
Despite this, Johnson’s version of the story echoed throughout America, where the man claimed Brown put his hands up in surrender before Wilson pulled the final trigger. The “hands up, don’t shoot” chant became a part of both men’s stories. However, a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson following a contested trial. Brown’s family also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, settling the matter in 2017.
The Ferguson community and supporters nationwide now mourn the loss of Johnson. While acknowledging his brave recollection of the 2014 incident, they also noted how the man has become another victim of gun violence.
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