Officer Howard Louis Johnson

Howard Louis Johnson

Officer Howard Johnson was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a bank robbery suspect.

The subject robbed the First Federal Savings and Loan of Minneapolis at the Rosedale Shopping Center and fled on foot at 12:30 pm. A silent alarm was activated, and Roseville officers responded. The subject fled across Snelling Avenue into a residential area. Officer Johnson located the subject at 1548 Sextant Avenue, where the suspect shot him. He was transported to St Paul Ramsey Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries while in the operating room at 2 pm.

The subject, 21, was arrested about 30 minutes later. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life. On February 15, 1979, he and another lifer escaped from the federal prison in Marion, Illinois. They were captured three days later in Johnson County, Illinois. He got five years added to his sentence.

Officer Johnson had served with the Roseville Police Department for 15 years. He is survived by his wife, three children, and one grandchild.