Two men have been arrested in connection with the May 8 shooting that killed Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Officer Dennis Johnson.
Prinston Underwood, 29, and Darrin Sutton, 53, both of Milwaukee, were in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail on May 12, jail records show.
Underwood faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and possession of a firearm while having been convicted of an out-of-state felony. Sutton is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court records indicate Sutton and Underwood were scheduled to make their first court appearances on May 12.
Johnson, 56, worked as a public safety officer downtown at the Milwaukee County Courthouse Complex, which is made up of the county’s Historic Courthouse, the Criminal Justice Facility and the Public Safety Building.
What happened to Dennis Johnson?
According to a criminal complaint filed May 11, police were alerted about a shooting that occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on the 3000 block of North Teutonia Avenue. When officers arrived, Johnson was drifting out of consciousness in the driver’s seat of his black Jeep Grand Cherokee.
He had a gunshot wound to his right upper arm. An autopsy later revealed the bullet traveled through his arm and into his heart and both lungs, the complaint said.
Johnson was treated on the scene by Milwaukee Fire Department EMTs, but he died at 5:28 p.m.
According to the complaint, Johnson agreed to take Sutton to pick up Sutton’s children from their mother’s house on the 2900 block of North 12th Street.
Once there, Sutton got into some kind of argument with the children’s mother’s sister and niece. At some point, Johnson got out of the car and tried to de-escalate things.
One of the women then gestured to her boyfriend, who authorities allege was Prinston Underwood. According to the complaint, Underwood came with a gun.
Sutton at that point showed that he also had a gun, then Johnson and Sutton go back to Johnson’s car.
According to the complaint, Underwood opened fire on Johnson’s vehicle as it pulled away, and Sutton returned fire.
Moments later, Johnson’s SUV was pursued by a GMC Yukon, allegedly driven by Underwood.
The complaint says Underwood pulled up next to them and started firing into Johnson’s vehicle.
Losing Johnson ‘hits home’
Johnson’s death prompted vigils and mourning from family, coworkers and those who knew him.
In interviews with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after a recent gathering, family and friends described Johnson as selfless. His sister, Lisa Beatty, disliked driving and so he often drove her around the city when she asked him to. Johnson frequented family get-togethers, whether that was baby showers, basketball games or birthday parties, she said.
“Every senseless killing is a tragedy,” Sheriff Denita Ball said in a statement. “However, because [Public Safety Officer] Johnson was a member of our family, this one hits home.”
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 2 charged in Milwaukee courthouse guard’s shooting death
Reporting by Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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