House passes Cassie Johnson bill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates approved a Senate bill Friday named after fallen Charleston police officer Cassie Johnson.

Cassie Johnson

The Patrol Officer Cassie Marie Johnson Memorial Act, SB 490, creates a new crime for the intentional killing of a police officer or other first responder. A person convicted of the crime would face 15 years to life in prison.

“This is a comprehensive and a collaborative effort to right a wrong that we experienced in this community,” House Judiciary Chairman Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, said during his remarks about the bill during the House floor session.

Johnson, 28, was shot in the line of duty in December 2020–she died a few days later. The man who shot her, Joshua Phillips was convicted of second degree murder last year. He was sentenced to serve 40 years.

Johnson’s mother, Sheryl Johnson, was in the House gallery for Friday’s vote along with a number of Charleston police officers.

Moore Capito

“I want to thank her (Cassie’s) family for being here today and yesterday and working through this process. I can’t imagine how difficult that can be,” Capito said.

The bill creates the charge that requires proof that the person “knowingly, willfully and forcibly obstructs or hinders” any first responder acting in their official capacity and causes their death.

The House made a change to the original Senate bill so the Senate would have to sign off on it before sending the bill to the governor’s desk.