The man whose account of Michael Brown’s death ignited the false “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative was shot and killed Sunday morning in Ferguson, Missouri.
Dorian Johnson, 33, died after being struck in a shooting around 8:30 a.m., according to Ferguson police.
The incident occurred less than a mile from where Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, KMOV reported.
Johnson was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
One suspect was taken into custody, and charges have been submitted to the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office, KMOV reported.
Ferguson Police public information officer Patricia Washington said rumors of police involvement in the shooting were false.
“There had been earlier rumors that this was an officer-involved shooting however that information is incorrect. No officers, Ferguson or otherwise, were involved in this incident other than to begin our investigation,” the department said, according to CNN.
Washington told NPR St. Louis that the investigation into Johnson’s death is ongoing.
Johnson was known nationally for being with Brown when Wilson confronted the pair for walking in the street following a strong-arm robbery by Brown.
NEW: Dorian Johnson, Michael Brown’s friend who spread the false ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ claim, has been sh*t dead in Ferguson, Missouri
Dorian Johnson was with Michael Brown the day he was sh*t in Ferguson
Earlier that day, Johnson was also with Brown when Brown robbed a… pic.twitter.com/4ntUNjgsgL
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) September 8, 2025
He claimed Brown had raised his hands in surrender before being fatally shot, a claim that was later disproven.
Wilson maintained that he acted in self-defense as Brown charged at him.
Johnson’s account helped fuel the “hands up, don’t shoot” chant that spread through Black Lives Matter protests against police across the country, CNN reported.
In the years after Brown’s death, Johnson filed a lawsuit alleging Wilson illegally stopped and used excessive force.
An appeals court later dismissed the suit.
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