New details emerge in death of North Carolina shot by cops 17 times

A 22-year-old North Carolina woman was shot 17 times in front of her grandparents and two-year-old daughter after police officers responded to a possible break-in. 

Jada Johnson also had drugs in her system at the time she was killed at her grandfather’s home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 1, according to an autopsy and toxicology reports released on Tuesday.

One bullet entered the right side of Johnson’s head, injuring her ‘scalp, brain, and skull,’ the report revealed. A second gunshot created a depression and a skull fracture.

The young woman also sustained multiple gunshot wounds to her right forearm, right arm, shoulder, and right hip and torso. 

The report confirmed that the manner of Johnson’s death was a homicide. 

The toxicology report, which was also released Tuesday, also revealed that Johnson was under the influence of 0.32 mg/L of methamphetamines, and had been in possession of unknown pills that were found in a plastic bag on her person, Fox8 News reported. 

New details emerge in the officer-shooting death of Jada Johnson, 22, (pictured) who was shot 17 times in an officer-involved shooting. Johnson was shot in the head multiple times, according to an autopsy and toxicology report that was released on Tuesday. The report also confirmed that the manner of Johnson’s death was a homicide

One of the officers arrive at Johnson’s grandfather’s Fayetteville, North Carolina home just before 10pm on July 1

The officer stands outside of the victim’s grandparents home located on Colgate Drive

The harrowing ordeal started just before 10pm on July 1 when Fayetteville police arrived at the home of Johnson’s grandfather, Rick Iwanski, located on Colgate Drive. 

Officers were responding to a call about a possible break-in.

Iwanski said his granddaughter suffered from mental illness and had recently been released from a hospital after experiencing a mental health crisis. 

‘She thought they were here to kill her and they wound up murdering her right in front of us,’ the distraught grandfather said. 

‘I saw her face and her eyes,’ he said, as he wept, CBS17 reported.

He also said that his granddaughter was also trying to get out of an abusive relationship. On the night of her tragic murder, he said, his granddaughter believed her boyfriend was trying to get inside their home to kill her. 

‘She thought they [the boyfriend] was here to kill her,’ Iwanski said. 

At one point, Johnson took out her gun and threatened to kill herself, the news outlet reported.

One officer tackled Johnson to the ground as another shot her multiple times in front of Iwanski, her grandmother, and her two-year-old daughter.

‘Officers gain control of the handgun, at which point the struggle went to the ground and tragically officers discharged their firearm,’ Fayetteville Police Department’s Assistant Chief James Nolette said, as reported by Fox8

 After the incident, Officers Zacharius Borom and Sergeant Timothy Rugg were put on paid administrative leave as the investigation into the manner was underway.

But, Johnson’s grandfather, who witnessed the incident, disputes the police.

‘The officers were not threatened verbally. Yes, there was a gun, but it was down,’ Iwanski said.  

He said there was an opportunity for officers to stop the situation without deadly force.

‘When she put the gun down, they should have tased her, bean-bagged her, took her down then. Why didn’t they do it then?’ Iwanski asked, Fox8 News reported.

Assistant Chief James Nolette with the Fayetteville Police Department said: ‘For over an hour the officers pled with this young lady, tried to get this young lady to put this weapon down. Tried to get the help that she wanted,’ the news outlet reported.

Police turned the case over to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

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A view of the North Carolina street where the July 1st shooting took place 

A search warrant filed by the State Bureau of Investigation revealed Sargent Rugg attempted to disarm Johnson when the victim went to drink water while she held her gun under her arm, and then some type of struggle followed, police previously said, CBS 17 reported, WNCN reported.

Johnson’s grandfather disputed that stating ‘there was no wrestling. No struggle. There was nothing like that.’  

The warrant stated that Officer Borom fired his gun and killed Johnson after she broke free of Sargent Rugg and attempted to grab her gun, the news outlet reported.

After his granddaughter’s death, Iwanski became involved with Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce (PACT), a nonprofit organization that addresses police reform.

One of their requests to city leaders was to change police culture, develop better police guidelines for mental health responses and hold officers more accountable.

Iwanski said ‘my real goal is accountability for the murder of my grandchild in front of me, and her grandmother, and her baby,’ the news outlet reported.  

‘I’d like to see justice for her and I think the officer who killed her needs to go to jail,’ he added. 

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