By Joe Severino
The Charleston Gazette-Mail, W.Va.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rarely is there a day in the Kanawha Valley when seemingly every set of eyes is focused on the same thing.
Law enforcement from several states, counties and cities, along with hundreds of Kanawha Countians lining the streets of Charleston and along the processional route, gathered Tuesday to honor slain Charleston Police Patrolman Cassie Johnson.
Johnson, 28, died Dec. 3, two days after being shot while responding to a parking complaint. She was laid to rest Tuesday at Floral Hills Garden of Memories after funeral services were held at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.
Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt, opening Johnson’s funeral service, said the fallen officer had a “perfect blend of a warrior’s mindset and a shepherd’s heart.” She was caring, but she was tough.
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Johnson, a Charleston native, alumna of Shoals Elementary School, Elkview Middle School and Capital High School, loved her city so much that she laid down her life for it, Hunt said.
Police Lt. Autumn Davis described Johnson’s journey to joining the force, saying she didn’t know the name of the young woman flunking the police physical training test in 2017, but the look of disappointment on that recruit’s face resonated with Davis.
Davis didn’t know it was Johnson at the time, but all she could think was: “She really wants this.”
In the days after, Davis said, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling to reach out to the young woman, so she did. The two trained and trained, and trained some more — they could be found regularly running along Kanawha Boulevard.
A year later, Davis watched Johnson crush the running test to join the police force.
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“I gave her the biggest hug, sweat and all,” Davis said.
Johnson was sworn in to the Charleston Police Department in January 2019, then went on to graduate from the West Virginia State Police Academy to join the department full time.
“It was an amazing thing to watch someone live their dream,” Davis said Tuesday. “Cassie was the epitome of what a police officer should be.”
Davis knew Johnson’s ultimate career goal was to become a K-9 officer for the department. Johnson’s love of animals — especially dogs — was apparent to everyone she knew, and Davis said, “no doubt, her partner would be very spoiled.”
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The two weren’t just sisters in blue, Davis said, “she was like my little sister.”
Johnson’s commitment to the city and police force showed in her final moments, Davis said.
“She looked evil in the face and did not back down,” she said. “Little sister, you did so good.”
Charleston Police Cpl. Matt Petty, the department’s day shift supervisor, said the day shift had lost one of its finest officers. Petty compared Johnson to the Monster Energy drinks she used to gulp down during shifts — small, but packing a big punch. She energized the shift. She’d call fellow officers four to five times a day to offer a helping hand if needed. She had an infectious laugh and a smile that lit up the room, he said.
Petty said he most respected Johnson for her commitment to her work, and while she was responsible for patrolling the area where she grew up and where her mother lived, Johnson investigated calls for strangers with the same tenacity as she did for her family.
“Cassie, we will miss you,” Petty said. “We love you, and we will hold the line from here.”
Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin recalled her last conversation with Johnson. It was Nov. 25, and Johnson was directing traffic away from an ongoing blaze at an apartment building on the West Side. Goodwin said she drove down a road she wasn’t supposed to, and was greeted with a side-eye look from Johnson and a “where are you going?”
Johnson was the first police officer Goodwin swore in when her term as mayor began in January 2019.
“Her passion brought her to us. She helped so many, and she is loved by so many,” Goodwin said. “It takes a special kind of courage to be a police officer. Cassie prided herself working a full 12-hour shift.”
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Chelsie Sobecki, with the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, also spoke Tuesday. She thanked Johnson for her commitment to service and for her gift of life to the people who received her organ donations.
Sobecki said that, because of Johnson, a 50-year-old man will live the rest of his life with a healthy heart. A person near death will breathe again because of her two lungs. A man in his 40s will survive because of her liver. And now, a young woman can live without kidney dialysis.
The investigation into Johnson’s death is ongoing and the shooting suspect remains hospitalized in custody.
Three men were arrested and charged with felony conspiracy for allegedly supplying the suspect with drugs just before the shooting, according to complaints in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
(c)2020 The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, W.Va.)