Days before he would be accused of fatally shooting one Beech Grove Police officer, injuring another, and causing an hours-long manhunt, Kenneth Terrell Johnson was in the middle of a dispute over a vehicle.
Nine hours before the Feb. 16 shooting, officers took a police report at the same Beech Meadows apartment complex in the 100 block of Diplomat Court, where the shooting would unfold, according to online police records.
That report alleges that a 2017 Buick Verano was stolen on Valentine’s Day. Johnson and a woman, who law enforcement said were a couple, are listed on the report, with Johnson being named as the victim.
“Vehicle registered in [Indiana] under [woman’s name], and registered under Johnson’s name in [Wisconsin],” the report time-stamped at 8:32 a.m. Feb. 16 states. “Civil issue.”
But that civil issue, police believe, may have been the catalyst in a series of events that would entangle another man and end with Beech Grove Police Officer Brian Elliott being mortally wounded shortly before 6 p.m. that day, after officers were dispatched to the same apartment for a domestic disturbance.
Johnson sits behind bars in the Marion County Jail on preliminary charges of murder and attempted murder, after a community member tipped police off to his location near the shooting scene.
He has not been formally charged, and an initial hearing was not set at time of publication. The woman could not be reached for comment. Attempts to reach her at the apartment also were unsuccessful.
A days-long dispute over a vehicle and another man’s arrest
According to court documents, on Feb. 13, a Beech Grove officer spoke with the woman at the Beech Meadows apartment, who said she had a few vehicles, including the Buick. She told the officer she and Johnson shared the apartment, but they weren’t getting along because she was getting ready to move out.
She came home and noticed that the Indiana license plate on her car had been switched with one from Wisconsin. When she questioned Johnson about it, she told police he “cussed her out” and never gave her a straight answer.
Court documents state that he had a friend over, and after the friend left, the car was gone.
While searching the complex on Feb. 13, the officer found the car with another man inside. Johnson had told the man to take the vehicle down the street and sit in it, according to court documents, which also stated that the man told police he was the woman’s brother.
The man refused police commands to get out of the vehicle and drove away in it, a probable cause affidavit for his arrest states.
Beech Grove Police chased the vehicle and said the man was driving recklessly. Nearly 6 miles from the apartment complex, the man stopped and ran from the vehicle. After setting up a perimeter and using K9s and a drone, the man was found behind a home’s shed and taken into custody.
The car was given back to the woman, who said that she didn’t know her brother was the one who took the sedan, according to court documents. She didn’t want to get him into trouble.
Officers allowed her to take the vehicle because the VIN showed an active title and plate belonging to her. Johnson’s Wisconsin plate was also registered, but without a date of birth to verify.
The woman’s brother had a warrant out of Marion County for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and he had another warrant out of Boone County for possession of a narcotic drug. He was preliminarily charged by Beech Grove PD with resisting law enforcement, falsely identifying himself, and driving with a suspended license.
Three days later, Beech Grove Police officers shot
At 5:40 p.m., on Feb. 16, Elliott and another officer were called back to the apartment complex for a domestic disturbance. The officers attempted to make contact by knocking on the door. They announced themselves when they heard the woman screaming for help, court records state.
Elliott started to kick the door open when a probable cause affidavit says Johnson immediately started shooting through the ajar door at both officers.
Body worn camera footage would show Elliott fell to the floor, while the other officer returned fire into the apartment but Johnson was able to escape.
Shell casings were found in the hallway and inside the apartment.
At 10:19 p.m., Johnson was found in a laundry room in another unit within Beech Meadows. A 9mm handgun was found in a small trash can near Johnson.
Both Elliott and the other officer were taken to Eskenazi Hospital. The other officer was shot in the leg but was listed in stable condition. That officer was released from the hospital and is recovering at home, Beech Grove Police Chief Michael Maurice said during a news conference Feb. 17.
The woman would later tell detectives that she was at the apartment that day to retrieve something when Johnson started physically assaulting her. She said she screamed while he held a gun to her head. Court documents state he kept threatening to kill her if she continued to scream.
When police arrived, she said she heard two shots, a slight pause, then multiple shots. She ran into the kitchen during the shooting and noted that the police never made it inside the apartment.
When questioned by investigators, Johnson requested a lawyer.
IndyStar uses discretion in naming people accused of crimes, considering the severity of charges and available information, among other factors. Suspects may not be named if ongoing reporting of the associated court proceedings is not immediately planned.
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Beech Grove officer shooting: How a car dispute may have led to Brian Elliott’s death
Reporting by Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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