The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE mother of Elron Johnson, the 17-year-old who police killed after he tried to rob the Double Dragon Restaurant on East Bay Street last year, said two months before he was killed, her son promised her he would stop committing robberies while on remand at Simpson Penn.

The inquest into the matter continued yesterday before acting Coroner Kara Turnquest Deveaux, with Belinda Johnson taking the stand one day after she was too emotional to testify.

An off-duty officer shot and killed Johnson as he fled the Chinese restaurant on June 15, 2023.

Ms Johnson said her son had been charged with three armed robberies before his death.

She said the last time she saw him was when she visited him at Simpson Penn Centre for Boys. She was unaware that he was out on bail until he died and claimed his girlfriend had posted his bail.

Although she requested to see footage of her son’s death, she became overwhelmed and left the witness stand in tears while viewing the first security video.

Sergeant Nikita Pickstock, the officer who submitted the security footage, said that a glitch in footage of the restaurant parking lot during the initial gunfight between Johnson and the police officer was caused by a camera malfunction or an issue with the hard drive.

He said he could not provide the missing parts of the footage.

Dr Caryn Sands, a forensic pathologist, testified that the deceased died from gunshot wounds to his torso and right leg.

She said one of the wounds to the deceased entered through his left shoulder before exiting through the right side of his back.

She elaborated that another wound to his torso entered through the right side of his chest, passed through two of his ribs and exited the right side of his back.

Dr Sands said that a third gunshot wound to his torso entered Johnson’s body through the left side of his lower back and ruptured his intestines. She said a bullet was recovered from his abdominal wall.

The pathologist said that a bullet went through the deceased’s right leg and his tibia before exiting his body. She said there was no evidence of close-range discharge on any of the deceased’s wounds.

When questioned by K Melvin Munroe, the attorney for the officer in the inquest, concerning whether Johnson could have received his injuries with his right arm extended in a firing position towards a shooter, Dr Sands said it was possible if his back was turned.

She said it was probable the deceased was leaning forward and was moving around at the time of the shooting due to the differing bullet paths.

Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence.