State Attorney’s Office files charges against gun-wielding man shot dead by police in Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Florida. A month after the Palm Bay police shot and killed a man in Melbourne, the state’s attorney’s office indicted a suspect accused of pointing a gun at officers.
Officers said they followed Timothy Johnson, 55, to Melbourne during a drug investigation back in June when the suspect was not listening to commands. According to police, Johnson then pointed a gun at the officers before they shot him in the leg.
Police said no officers were injured in the shooting at the intersection of Canal Street and Hopkins Street, west of US-1.
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After serving a month in jail and still in a wheelchair, Johnson appeared before a judge on Wednesday, who read out a list of charges he now faces as the state’s attorney’s office decides to prosecute him.
Charges include aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In addition to the weapons charges, police said Johnson was also carrying drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.
“I’ve looked at all the files. I’m looking for a possible cause,” Judge Scott Blau said.
The shooting was the second this year involving Palm Bay police.
News 6 reported on Monday that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has turned over its findings to the state’s attorney’s office following a February shooting in which a gun-wielding suspect died.
In Johnson’s case, the FDLE said an investigation into police use of force is still active.
In court at the county jail on Wednesday afternoon, Johnson’s new bail was set at more than $200,000.
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