Officer Howard Louis Johnson, Roseville Police Department, Minnesota

Officer Howard Louis Johnson

Roseville Police Department, Minnesota

End of Watch Wednesday, August 16, 1972

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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.

Bio

Age 48
Tour 15 years
Badge 143

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Sentenced to life

robbery

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Most Recent Reflection

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May is a month of remembrance in the law enforcement community, culminating in a candlelight vigil in Washington, D.C., during National Police Week on Tuesday, May 13. Each year, a group of Roseville Police Officers joins officers from across the country in a bike ride to Washington, D.C., to honor those who died in the line of duty and to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

This year, I will be riding alongside my partners from Roseville, starting in New Jersey and finishing in Washington, D.C. Each rider chooses a fallen officer to ride for, and I am proud to ride in honor of Roseville Officer Howard Johnson. "Howie" Johnson was shot and killed in the line of duty while pursuing a bank robbery suspect on August 16, 1972.

I feel a deep connection to Howie Johnson—not just because I wear the same uniform and patrol the same streets, but also through the community's memories of him. A homeowner has twice pointed out to me the spot beneath a spruce tree in his front yard where Howie was shot and killed. An elderly woman sitting outside a retirement home introduced herself to me as Howie Johnson's widow. These rare and poignant reminders keep his memory alive.

When I retire later this year, I will have the privilege of being largely forgotten—a quiet departure from a demanding profession. That privilege was stolen from Howie Johnson on August 16, 1972. Today, his framed photo hangs in the lobby of our police department, and his name is etched in stone on a monument in Washington, D.C. This is the job we signed up for, but not the outcome we ever expect.

Thanks for your service Howard Johnson

S-30
Roseville PD

February 26, 2025