Man who fired gun at Swansea police officer sentenced to prison
A man who fired a pistol at a Swansea police officer after fleeing a stolen vehicle has been sentenced to 27 years in state prison.
Darnacio Johnson, 23, of Belleville, will serve three years of probation after his time in prison. He must serve at least 85% of his prison sentence.
Johnson, citing diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder from his childhood, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to four charges in a May 24 plea hearing. The charges are aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated battery of a peace officer, unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
A fifth charge, attempted first-degree murder, was dismissed as part of an open plea.
During the sentencing hearing Friday, Swansea police officer Gary Reuter described the ordeal that took place the morning of June 18, 2019, when he came face-to-face with Johnson after Johnson fled a stolen vehicle on Whistling Cove in Swansea.
After Johnson had fallen to his chest with his right hand underneath him, Reuter went to administer a stun and saw the back of a semi-automatic pistol.
Fearing for his life, Reuter jumped on Johnson to gain control. Johnson rolled to his right side and the pistol became fully visible. Reuter deflected the pistol to the ground and rolled to his left side, placing the pistol under his lower back.
He continued to hold Johnson’s right hand and arm under his body, giving commands to drop the gun, when Johnson fired the pistol once. At first, Reuter wasn’t sure if he was hit.
“All I could think about at this time was my wife and three young children that might not ever get to see me again,” Reuter said.
Reuter was not hit, but he said the incident has affected him and his family in many ways. For months he would wake up at night reliving the incident, and his wife worries every time he leaves for work that he might not come home.
“Mr. Johnson, during the time you were running from police, you had every opportunity to discard the pistol you had in your possession. I do not feel sorry for you one bit. Don’t tell me you’re sorry or anything else. I don’t want to hear it,” Reuter said.
The state requested a concurrently-served sentence of 30 years for the four counts, citing aggravating factors and 12 incident reports involving Johnson since June 20, 2019, when he was taken into custody at St. Clair County Jail.
Johnson’s attorney, Cynthia McKinney, described Johnson’s “extremely traumatic” upbringing, saying that Johnson’s time in custody has been the most stable period of his life.
When he was two years old, his oldest brother was shot in the living room, McKinney said. When he was seven, another brother was shot and killed. When he was eight, his aunt administered morphine to him and his siblings when she was babysitting them, ultimately killing his four-year-old sister.
He and his living siblings were later placed in foster care and moved from foster home to foster home, eventually being separated in 2013.
He also had a twin brother who went to live with their grandma at some point, and they died, but Johnson doesn’t know how. When he was 18, his mom was killed in a car accident.
“He’s had nothing stable in his life, and that’s reflected in the post-traumatic stress disorder that Dr. Cuneo diagnosed him with,” she said.
This PTSD, combined with Johnson’s age, made him more impulsive and impaired his ability to fully understand the consequences of his actions, McKinney said.
McKinney said she pointed these things out not to excuse Johnson’s actions, which he admitted were wrong, but to seek mercy. While in prison, he can take classes, receive counseling and work through his problems in a stable environment to become a productive member of society.
Johnson himself then spoke, apologizing for what occurred that day and saying he didn’t intend to take something away from someone that he didn’t have — a family.
In determining the sentence, St. Clair County Circuit Judge Robert Haida said he was taking into account the aggravation factors outlined by the state as well as the circumstances of Johnson’s upbringing, saying that society has failed to help people who have suffered the things that Johnson has suffered.
He said Johnson’s case is another example of how the system of taking care of young people and providing mental health services is “not even close to adequate.”
“Your life is a tragedy. There’s no question about it,” Haida said. It helps explain, but doesn’t excuse, what happened, the judge said.
He said he hopes that while Johnson is incarcerated he can receive mental health services that will help him be a law-abiding citizen when he is released.
