Suspect in Kentucky trooper’s shooting death was a ‘Black Lives Matter’ advocate in S
Suspect in Kentucky trooper’s shooting death was a ‘Black Lives Matter’ advocate in St. Louis, Facebook shows
BY NINA GOLGOWSKI
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, September 14, 2015, 7:09 PM
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo...s15n-2-web.jpgKENTUCKY STATE POLICE
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo...s15n-5-web.jpgBIG'MIKE JR BROWN VIA FACEBOOK
Joseph Thomas Johnson-Shanks, who is suspected of fatally shooting a Kentucky state trooper, was a 'Black Lives Matter' advocate who protested following Michael Brown's shooting death.
A Missouri man suspected of fatally shooting a Kentucky state trooper was an active supporter of the "Black Lives Matter" movement who advocated against violence, a Facebook page shows.
Joseph Thomas Johnson-Shanks, who was shot dead by police Monday morning, appears to have regularly posted videos and articles on police shootings under the pseudonym "Jay MileHigh," Vocativ reported.
On that Facebook page, photos appear to show the 25-year-old St. Louis man attending a funeral service for Michael Brown, who was shot dead by a Ferguson police officer in 2014. It also shows him attending local protests in the days and weeks after.
In several photos, Johnson-Shanks is seen with his hands raised in the air with the caption, "hands up don't shoot" — a phrase that originated from the unarmed teen's death.
"Some of y'all don't understand the more violence that occurs is less justice for Mike Brown the focus should be on him," he posted on a "Justice for Mike Brown" Facebook page on Aug. 14, 2014, one week after Brown's death.
Some of y'all don't understand the more violence that occurs is less justice for Mike Brown
While at times urging calm, his page also shared news reports and videos claiming to capture "police brutality." One such video was classified, allegedly by Johnson-Shanks, as being a "pure example of our Protectees (Police)."
Despite his anti-violent posts, a little more than a year later, Johnson-Shanks would meet the same fate as Brown.
Kentucky state police say he led a trooper on a high-speed chase Sunday night before stopping short and shooting Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder multiple times.
He then abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene on foot, leading to a manhunt that ended in him being cornered by police.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo.../453836436.jpgSCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES
Armed officers are seen attending a demonstration against Brown's 2014 shooting death in Ferguson, Mo. Johnson-Shanks appears to have criticized the violence that followed Brown's death.
When he refused to drop his weapon and instead aimed it at responding officers, they opened fire. He was pronounced dead in a hospital roughly an hour later, police said.
In an ironic twist, in a post last August Johnson-Shanks defended officers' use of a firearm when confronted with an armed suspect.
"Come on y'all shooting at legs A RISK Tasers DONT WORK ON EVERYBODY AND EVERY COP DOESN'T HAVE A TASER pepper spray CROWD CONTROL come on now let's be REAL someone walks up on YOU with a knife what are you going to DO... MACE TASE OR SHOOT," the Aug. 21, 2014 post reads.
Exactly what sparked Sunday's deadly shooting remains under investigation.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo...s15n-1-web.jpgKENTUCKY STATE POLICE
Police say Johnson-Shanks fatally shot Kentucky State Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, 31, after a traffic stop Sunday night.
State police have since said that Ponder was taken on a high-speed chase after an initial stop where he offered to help Johnson-Shanks find a hotel for the night. That followed the discovery that the driver's license was suspended.
Authorities have said that two women and two children were in the car with Johnson-Shanks when he killed the trooper.
Among those four, his 18-year-old niece was arrested and charged with first-degree hindering prosecution or apprehension. The other three were questioned and then released, police said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/suspect-trooper-death-black-lives-matter-backer-article-1.2360320
