Arizona state lawmaker speaks out on death of Dion Johnson

PHOENIX - While protests around the Valley have been largely focused on the death of George Floyd, many have also focused on the shooting death of Dion Johnson.

Johnson, 28, died after he was shot by a DPS trooper during a struggle in late May.

"The trooper observed a male passed out in the driver's seat.  During the trooper's contact with the suspect, there was a struggle and the trooper fired his service weapon striking the suspect," officials with the Department of Public Safety said at the time.

Since then-investigators still haven't released a lot of details in the case, but one Arizona lawmaker is pushing to change that.

State Rep. Reginald Bolding says there is a public pandemic going on with the community and law enforcement, and Johnson's death is no different.

"The problem is the community does not believe what the government is saying, because we have not seen a transparent government," said State Rep. Bolding. "For me, there were a number of gaps in the story."

Authorities say there isn't body camera footage showing exactly what happened to Johnson. Now, State Rep. Bolding is asking law enforcement to provide transparency, in light of what is going on across the country, and push for all officers to wear body cameras.

In January, Governor Doug Ducey mentioned in his State of the State Address that he wants funding for body cameras for every state trooper.

"Cameras at the workplace is nothing new, so we should actually hold that same standard for law enforcement officers," said State Rep. Bolding. "They have a dangerous job, and the cameras are not only protection for community, but they're protection for the officer as well."

Phoenix Police is handling the investigation and not saying much about the incident, but State Rep. Bolding says law enforcement needs to release the name of the officer involved, in order to provide transparency.