MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Who was Joshua Michael Johnson? Fugitive who shot 2 Utah cops left treatment center 'against clinical advice'

The victim deputies were identified as Joshua Buerke and Leland Grossett, both of whom were hospitalized and underwent treatment

New details have emerged on the two hospitalized deputies and suspect involved in a shooting on the lawn of the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on Saturday. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office identified the victims as deputies Joshua Buerke and Leland Grossett, while the suspect, who died during the encounter, was identified as Joshua Michael Johnson, 31, Fox News reported.

RELATED ARTICLES

Who is Christopher Racioppo? NYPD cop critical as Jonathan Nunez, 25, stabs him after crashing his Mercedes

Oklahoma jail inmate, who took correctional officer hostage and went live on Facebook, was fatally shot dead

During a press conference Saturday, Sheriff Rosie Rivera told reporters that Buerke and Grossett were patrolling the campus when they encountered Johnson on the lawn north of the sheriff's office building. "We do not know what he was doing here on the grounds," Rivera said. "The deputies were going to check up on him when something occurred." 

Johnson proceeded to exchange gunfire with the officers and was killed during the incident. Officials believe Johnson might have been experiencing homelessness. Deputy Buerke, who was shot in the cheek during the encounter, has been released from the hospital following treatment. Meanwhile, deputy Grossett remains hospitalized following surgery on Saturday after being shot in the eye. He is currently in stable condition and did not lose his eye, according to an update by police on Sunday.

"I want to thank the public for their outpouring of support and well wishes for our deputies," Rivera said in a statement. "We ask that the public and media respect the privacy of our deputies and their families during this difficult time." 

Utah Gov Spencer Cox called the Saturday shootout "an awful tragedy" and said he and Mayor Jenny Wilson were praying for the well-being of the two deputies involved.

Meanwhile, Wilson added that everyone in Salt Lake County was "grateful for the sacrifice that law enforcement makes each day" and that their "hearts and hopes are with the deputies and their families." 

The motive behind the incident is still not clear, but court records reveal Johnson was a fugitive at the time of his death. Corrections agents revealed in a February 2021 Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P) report how Johnson had left his residential treatment program without permission, according to 2News.

On February 3, staff at Odyssey House treatment center told AP&P agents that Johnson had walked away "against clinical advice."

“[Johnson] had received a phone call from his mother, who reported his stimulus check had arrived, but his brother had cashed it. Additionally, [Johnson] was adamant he needed to leave the facility immediately and was escorted to the door,” the AP&P report said.

When his family was contacted, they said nobody was in contact with Johnson and that they had no idea he had left Odyssey House. According to the report, leaving the treatment center without permission was a violation of his probation.

According to court records, Johnson's probation stemmed from one of many drug arrests over the years. In January 2019, he was placed on a three-year probation but violated the same in March that year. He was subsequently sentenced to 180 days in the Salt Lake County Jail and was released in November 2019, still on probation. The following month, he violated probation again and remained a fugitive until his June 2020 arrest. Court records show he served 47 days and was released from prison.

In January this year, Johnson was apprehended by Salt Lake City Police on North Temple Street for allegedly dealing drugs. While court records do not show that he was criminally charged following the arrest, they indicate he was remanded in custody and released on February 2 to the Odyssey House treatment facility, from where he left without permission shortly after.