Ark. man gets 2 life terms, 835 years for killing off-duty cop

The man was convicted of first degree murder in the 2018 shooting death of Forrest City officer Oliver Johnson

By Associated Press

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — An Arkansas man has been sentenced to two life terms plus 835 years in prison for the fatal shooting of an off-duty police officer in northeast Arkansas.

Demarcus Donnell Parker, 27, was convicted Tuesday by a Crittenden County jury of first-degree murder, illegally shooting a weapon from a vehicle and 21 related charges in the April 2018 shooting death of Forrest City officer Oliver Johnson, according to court documents.

The Ark. law enforcement community is mourning the loss of one of their own after Forrest City police officer Oliver Johnson Junior was shot and killed inside his West Memphis home on Sat. What friends and police said in memory of Officer Johnson: https://t.co/iSlZvceVgT #arnews pic.twitter.com/lQEue56WvJ
— KATV News (@KATVNews) April 30, 2018

An attorney for Parker did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

Prosecutors have said Parker was shooting at rival gang members outside Johnson's home in West Memphis when the officer was struck by a stray bullet. Investigators have said Johnson was likely not the target of the gunfire.

Trial on similar charges is pending against a co-defendant in the shooting, George Henderson, who has pleaded not guilty.