Officer Niles Frederick Johantgen

Officer Niles Frederick Johantgen | Atlanta Police Department, Georgia
Atlanta Police Department, Georgia
Officer Niles Frederick Johantgen

Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

End of Watch Saturday, December 21, 1991

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Niles Frederick Johantgen

Officer Johantgen was shot and killed as he was frisking a suspect on Henry Thomas Drive. Another man hit Officer Johantgen in the back of the head from behind, then shot him in the back of the head as he lay on the ground. The man who attacked him was upset that Officer Johantgen had arrested a man for drug's in the suspect's home and that he was searching three of the suspect's friends.

The suspect was sentenced to death in 1993. In 2017, the suspect agreed to life in prison without parole after an appeals judge threw out the death sentence.

Officer Johantgen was a United States Marine Corps veteran. He had been with the Atlanta Police Department for three years. Officer Johantgen is survived by his wife and two sons.

Bio

  • Age 32
  • Tour 3 years
  • Badge Not available
  • Military Veteran

Incident Details

  • Cause Gunfire
  • Weapon Gun; Unknown type
  • Offender Life without parole

narcotics, arrest

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Niles, Doug Johnson, and myself were all Marines, from 1980-1984. Doug, and myself, were from Georgia, and Niles hailed from Michigan. Unbeknownst to me, Niles moved down to Georgia in the late 80's and went into business with Doug as bail bondsman/skip tracers. I was in a video store, yeah they actually existed, around the corner from my house in Stone Mountain, Ga. As I'm scanning the selection of movies, this guy bumps into me. I didn't think anything about it until a minute later, when he basically elbows me out of the way. I wheel around and it's Niles. For those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting him. Niles was approximately, 6'5, and probably 250 lbs +! Zero body fat and just a mountain of a man. He had a chiseled face and a semi high and tight haircut. He was the epitome of a Marine. God bless him, his boys, and his wife.

Captain G.W. Warren
Fulton Co Police Department (Ret)
United States Marine Corps

October 28, 2021

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