The Murder of Phillip Johnson

Phillip Johnson Jr was a father, brother, soon to be husband and loved Rockford community member.

On January 28th, 2012, Phillip was leaving San Jose on E state as a backseat passenger in a coupe.

Rockford Police had reportedly been called to the scene after a “large fight and a shot was fired” outside San José.

Rockford Police officer John Johnson pulled over the vehicle Phillip was in near the 300 block of Longeood street.

It was initially reported that officer Johnson ordered everyone to show their hands and asked everyone to exit the vehicle. Rockford Police officer Amado Soria arrived as back up.

As the scene wasn’t too far from San Jose, a crowd formed watching the stop.

Community members have come forward to say that the driver and the passenger both exited the vehicle. Once they both were out, Phillip reached down to move the seat up so he could get out the vehicle.

Witnesses to the shooting allege that it was when Phillip reached down that Soria shot twice through the windshield into the chest of Phillip Johnson.

Rockford community members watched as officers pulled Phillip out of the car and onto the ground to handcuff him. He was on his stomach bleeding out handcuffed behind his back on the snowy parking lot.

RPD officers were slow to call for medical aid. Witnesses allege that once the ambulance arrived to the scene, officers prevented them from administering aid to Phillip until they “had control over the crowd”.

This was the third case investigated and justified by the Winnebago County Integrity Task Force. Since then it has justified every deadly force incident it has investigated.

It was the first Rockford police shooting in 2012 and fourth deadly force incident by police in Winnebago County in the 2010’s.

May Phillip “Keylow” Johnson Jr Rest In Power.