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Phoenix officer's firing is upheld by the city's Civil Service Board

Phoenix Police vehicle
Jackie Hai/KJZZ
A Phoenix Police vehicle in downtown Phoenix.

A Phoenix police officer fired over a shooting that led to a multimillion-dollar payout by the city, and a citation in a civil rights report by the U.S. Justice Department, did not get his job back on Thursday.

Members of the Civil Service Board rejected a hearing officer’s recommendation and again voted to deny Jesse Johnson’s appeal.

Johnson was fired in April by the Phoenix police chief over the 2022 shooting of a man with a mental health problem who was throwing rocks into traffic.

Johnson’s appeal has two parts which have given him three chances for reinstatement.

Now, the board has again upheld the chief’s decision. Member Donna McHenry spoke to Johnson from the dais after the unanimous vote.

“Thank you for your service. Sorry for the outcome. We wish you well,” McHenry said.

Court records say Johnson shot the mentally ill man as he was unarmed and turning away.

The DOJ cites the incident as an example of Phoenix police using tactics that increase the risk for deadly encounters.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.
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  • KJZZ's "Policing the Police" series examines the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation of Phoenix by section, as well as the city's efforts to self-impose reforms.