The Other McCain

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The Last Ride of Da’Quain Johnson

Posted on | June 28, 2026 | No Comments

The Revolutionary Black Panther Party (RBPP) “is an active, Marxist-Leninist black nationalist organization in Michigan,” according to an AI summary. The Michigan chapter of the RBPP is part of a nationwide organization reportedly founded in 1992. Saturday they staged an armed rally in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, to protest the police shooting of Da’Quain Trey Johnson. That got my attention.

De’Quain Johnson was 32 years old when he was fatally shot by police around 9:30 p.m. February 18 after a pursuit that began after police received a complaint that Johnson was carrying a firearm. He was riding a bicycle at the time, and your first thought might be, “Why is a grown man riding a bicycle on a February night in Michigan?” Probably his driver’s license had been revoked, although I have been unable to find his full criminal history, but my point is that an adult man riding around Grand Rapids on a bicycle that time of night in February — yeah, a police officer might take notice of that behavior. However, police had not randomly noticed De’Quain Johnson, but rather had specific information that he was armed, and that fact needs to be emphasized:

Immediately after he shot and killed a man, a Grand Rapids police officer said he saw the barrel of the man’s pistol pointed at him.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom provided video clips on Thursday, Feb. 19, from body-worn and in-car cameras of the violent encounter that led to the fatal shooting Wednesday night on the city’s Southeast Side.
Winstrom said police rushed to release three videos to counter false narratives spreading on social media.
“There’s a lot of inconsistencies or outright falsehoods being spread on social media,” he said.
“And I think when false information is being spread on social media and we have the opportunity to get some accurate information out, we should take that opportunity.”
He said he had not reached any conclusions where the K-9’s officer’s actions violated the law or department policy. He fired three shots, with the man struck in the chest.
Police would not disclose the man’s identity, but his mother identified the victim as Da’Quain Johnson.
Winstrom said police acted on an officer-initiated complaint that the man was armed with a handgun. It was not clear if the officer witnessed the man with the gun or acted on information from an informant.
The video showed police trying to stop the man who was riding a bicycle. As they neared the parking lot of Eastern Lofts on Eastern Avenue SE, the K-9 officer released the dog.
Two officers approached and told the man to “stop reaching,” and threatened he could get shot.
“Stop reaching, man. You’re going to get shot. Hey, he’s got a gun. He’s got a gun in his hand.”
The officers involved have not yet been interviewed by investigators but that should happen within the next two days.
Winstrom said the man was on parole for weapons violations. A pistol was found at the scene.
The man’s gun was underneath him.
Winstrom said it was fortunate that no officers were injured but said the man’s family suffered a tragedy.
“… I know that there’s a family that’s hurt that’s going to miss this young man,” he said.
He said that the man was undergoing surgery when he died early Thursday. Medical staff worked for probably three hours trying to save his life.
Winstrom said the man led police on lengthy pursuit on his bicycle. He did not know why the man fled but noted he was on parole.
“I don’t know if that plays into it. I don’t if parole (agents) had a hold on him or something. I know he had past (arrests) for weapons violations and things like that. But, you know, I can’t assess his intent or what his motivation was. … Obviously, you’re on parole for a gun, you’re not legally allowed to carry a gun. So that could have been part of his fleeing.”

Having previously been convicted of a weapons violation, Da’Quain Johnson was out on parole when police got a tip that he was armed with a pistol, a crime that would send him back to prison, and that “could have been part of his fleeing,” the police chief says, stating the obvious.

To counter “false narratives spreading on social media,” the police wasted no time releasing the bodycam video:

 

Six weeks later, the officer was exonerated:

The Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot Da’Quain Johnson just over six weeks ago will not face any charges tied to that shooting. The other officer on scene at the time of the shooting was also cleared by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker.
The decision to rule the deadly use of force as justified, came Thursday afternoon during a press conference six weeks after Johnson died from his injuries. . . .
Becker cited findings that Johnson was armed with a loaded gun, which Becker said Johnson pointed at an officer during the struggle.
An audio recording of officers relaying information from a confidential informant, who told police Johnson was traveling around the southeast side of the city with a gun. Officers used that tip to locate Johnson near Miss Tracy’s Liquor Store.
Becker then played multiple video recordings of the the pursuit and struggle between Johnson and officers. Among the new videos included a recording from a security camera at the apartment complex where officers caught up to Johnson.
Also shown was video from the dash camera of one Grand Rapids Police Department cruiser and the body camera from one officer, both of which had been partially released by the department in February. Becker walked through those videos, highlighting how Johnson’s hand positioning would indicate he was reaching for something on his right hip. After officers shot Johnson, the gun can be seen in the videos fall out of Johnson’s right hand.
In his explanation, Becker said the officers acted within Michigan law to use deadly force against a person armed with a deadly weapon. The prosecutor expressed his belief that no jury would be convinced the officers should be convicted of charges when they were effectively acting in self-defense. . . .
According to the MSP report, the Grand Rapids Police Department later recovered a tan and black 9mm pistol on the ground near Johnson’s body, loaded with “eight rounds in the magazine and one round chambered.”
The report also said, while attempting life-saving measures, healthcare workers found on Johnson’s body a plastic bag containing around 10 grams of suspected crack cocaine.

The convicted felon was dealing crack near a liquor store when police, acting on a tip that he was armed, located him and then chased him four blocks to the spot where they caught up with him.

Here is the full 40-minute press conference by the prosecutor:

 

Was this what cops call a “good shoot”? Were the tactics used by police consistent with best practices in law enforcement? Hindsight being 20/20, you can argue about that however you want, but the point Becker made is this: In order to prosecute the cop, he would have to disprove the officer’s self-defense claim, despite the fact that De’Quain Johnson had a loaded pistol in his hand, with a round already chambered.

Sorry, no jury is going to vote for a conviction in such a situation.

Nevertheless, they persisted:

The Revolutionary Black Panther Party held another rally at Calder Plaza Saturday afternoon, again demanding for prosecutors to reopen the investigation into the shooting death of Da’Quain Johnson.
This is the second such rally, with one held in May. At that rally, the party said they wanted the investigation reopened within 30 days. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker has not reopened the investigation.
Now the Black Panthers said they’re heading to Lansing to ask the Attorney General’s office for a formal recusal of Becker. They say his handling of the case was unethical.
“Not only was it unethical, but if you actually look at laws and procedures in this state, It was prosecutorial misconduct. And not only was it prosecutorial misconduct, he actually had a bias, but it was in favor of the police. It was in favor of law enforcement. Not only was it in favor of law enforcement, it acted against but not only was it in favor of law enforcement, it acted against the people that his office says he’s supposed to protect victims,” said Dr. Alli Muhammad MD, national leader of the Revolutionary Black Panther Party.
They are also asking for the arrest of all officers involved in the shooting and the suspension of the department’s K-9.

Not gonna happen. Nobody is going to riot on behalf of a convicted felon dealing crack who got shot with a loaded 9mm in his hand. You can march on the state capital if you want, but your demands are irrational and even the kind of people who might be looking for any excuse to loot the local CVS aren’t buying this one. Better luck next time.



 

Category: Crime, Michigan

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