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Johnny Lee Perry II

Age : 31

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/29/2021

Location : Southside Road

City : Missoula

County : Missoula

State : Montana

Agency : Missoula County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during disturbance call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/29/2021, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Southside Road area west of Missoula after receiving a report of a man with a machete who was allegedly swinging it and making threats. Deputies encountered 31-year-old Johnny Lee Perry II near the Deep Creek Fishing Access area.
Deputies attempted to communicate with Perry for an extended period while he remained near his vehicle. Body-camera and dashboard-camera recordings later played publicly during a coroner’s inquest documented much of the encounter. Deputy Justin White testified that he saw Perry swinging the machete, while Perry’s family disputed the characterization of his behavior as threatening.
Deputies decided against using a Taser. Deputy Sean Evans, a department Taser instructor, later testified that officers believed Perry could use the machete to cut the Taser wires and that Perry’s loose clothing could interfere with the probes. Instead, deputies deployed less-lethal impact rounds. Perry was struck by three foam projectiles at close range.
Police alleged that after being struck by the less-lethal rounds, Perry swung the machete and began running toward a nearby trailer. Deputies said they were concerned about people who might be inside the trailer. However, video evidence later reviewed during the coroner’s inquest showed that Perry was running away from the deputies and had not approached or attempted to injure them when Deputy Sean Evans fired the fatal shot.
Evans shot Perry in the upper back near his right shoulder. The bullet traveled through his back, fractured two ribs, punctured a lung and exited near his right collarbone. Perry suffered massive internal bleeding, losing approximately two liters of blood. Deputies provided medical treatment before Perry was transported to a hospital, where he died.
The autopsy determined that Perry died from the police gunshot wound to his back. Toxicology testing detected methamphetamine and marijuana. The medical examiner testified that Perry’s methamphetamine concentration was high enough to be lethal in some people but could be tolerated by a habitual user; the gunshot wound, not intoxication, was determined to be the cause of death.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an independent investigation, while the Ravalli County Coroner’s Office handled the death investigation because Missoula County Sheriff’s personnel were involved in Perry’s death. The completed investigation was forwarded for a coroner’s inquest.
On 04/28/2022, a coroner’s inquest was held in Missoula County District Court. Jurors viewed body-camera and dashboard-camera recordings and heard testimony from Evans, White, senior responding officer Troy Rexin, DCI investigators, the medical examiner and other witnesses. After approximately 30 minutes of deliberation, the jury determined that Evans was not criminally responsible for Perry’s death.
Perry’s killing generated public criticism and protests. Supporters appeared outside the courthouse with Black Lives Matter signs during the inquest. Perry’s family questioned the deputies’ characterization of his actions as threatening, and the Montana Racial Equity Project publicly called for transparency and accountability following the killing.

SOURCE LINKS :

1. https://www.krtv.com/news/crime-and-courts/not-guilty-verdict-in-the-deadly-shooting-of-a-suspect-by-sheriffs-deputy
2. https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/missoula-deputy-cleared-in-killing-of-man-with-machete
3. https://www.kpax.com/missoula-coroners-inquest-jury-returns-verdict-in-fatal-officer-involved-shooting
4. https://apnews.com/article/shootings-race-and-ethnicity-montana-missoula-259f7c7f7f408b05f6047164e590268b
5. https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/coroners-inquest-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-justified