CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There have been ten officers killed in the line of duty, dating back to 1920, in the history of the Charleston Police Department. The anniversary of the most recent death is Wednesday. It was December 2, 2020 when Patrolman Cassie Johnson was dispatched to Garrison Avenue for a parking complaint. Somebody had parked their car in a place where it was obstructing others. All she needed was for the man to move his car.

“That’s all it was. It was a simple parking complaint. She found out where he was in a house nearby and made contact with him. He had decided today’s not the day unfortunately,” said Charleston Police Chief Scott Dempsey.

Joshua Phillips was the one who had parked the car and got into a scuffle with Johnson. He eventually produced a gun and shot Johnson. D

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