South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina
End of Watch: Sunday, July 7, 2002
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: F-38
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 7, 2002
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Corporal Kenneth Johnson was shot and killed while conducting a holiday weekend public safety checkpoint in Berkeley County at 2:15 am.
He and other troopers were positioned on College Park Road, between I-26 and US 17A, and had stopped a pickup truck. As a trooper wrote the female driver a ticket for possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage, Corporal Johnson walked around the back of the truck to check the identity of the male passenger. As he did so, the man jumped out of the truck and opened fire, striking Corporal Johnson in the abdomen just below his protective vest. As the man attempted to escape, the other troopers returned fire, wounding him, and took him into custody.
The male subject was an escapee from a Charleston County work release detail. The female driver of the truck was also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. The male was convicted of seven counts, including murder, on May 18th, 2003, and was sentenced to death the following day. In October 2015, the man committed suicide by hanging himself in his jail cell.
Corporal Johnson had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and two children.