Killing of Earl O. Johnson in Tennessee in 1953

Incident

Case summary

Earl O. Johnson (1927 - 1953), a WWII veteran and post office employee, was killed during a chase involving police officers T. H. Rainey and J. E. Burrus in Memphis, Tennessee. The officers attempted to arrest Johnson based on the complaint of a white woman named Ruby Lawhorn that Johnson attacked her. The police claimed that Rainey and Burrus fired two shots while chasing Johnson but missed him, and that Johnson fell and struck his head on concrete.

Victim(s):

Earl O. Johnson


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

J. E. Burrus

T. H. Rainey

Perpetrator group type: police

Date of incident: 1953-04-11
Location: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
Location type: public space - urban
Allegation against victim: murdering a white woman

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: [ ]
Finding of no legal responsibility: [ ]

Criminal process
Arrest: [ ]
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: [ ]
Trial: [ ]
Conviction: [ ]
Sentence: [ ]

DOJ case ID:

144-72-73


Document(s):
advocacy group resources
death certificates - closed
federal agency records
news articles - closed
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