MELBOURNE, Fla. – A month after Palm Bay police shot a man in Melbourne, the state attorney’s office has filed charges against the suspect accused of pulling a gun on officers.
Officers said they followed Timothy Johnson, 55, to Melbourne during a drug investigation back in June when the suspect didn’t listen to commands. According to police, Johnson then pulled a gun on officers before they shot him in the leg.
Police said no officers were hurt in the shooting at the intersection of Canal Street and Hopkins Street, west of US-1.
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After sitting in jail for a month and still in a wheelchair, Johnson appeared before a judge Wednesday who read the list of charges he now faces as the state attorney’s office decides to prosecute him.
The charges include aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In addition to the weapons charges, police said Johnson was also carrying drugs like meth, cocaine and fentanyl.
“I have reviewed all of the files. I do find probable cause,” Judge Scott Blaue said.
The shooting was the second this year involving Palm Bay police.
News 6 reported Monday that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement turned over its findings to the state attorney’s office from a February shooting when a suspect armed with a gun died.
In Johnson’s case, FDLE said its investigation into police’s use of force is still active.
In court at the county jail Wednesday afternoon, Johnson’s new bond total was set at more than $200,000.
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