and another Real Life Hero...
My Friend Mike Johnson (the San Jose, CA Policeman) Was Murdered in the Line of Duty. He Was a Great Guy. He a Responding to a Domestic Violence Call. The Criminal Shot Mike and then Was Shot by other SJPD Officers... The Criminal Died...
Mike and I worked together at the Branham Lane Radio Shack during the 1990s. We had many lengthy debates at our store while waiting for customers to show up... He and I disagreed on almost every subject but it was an interesting intellectual stimulation to talk to him. One thing we disagreed about was his joining the Police Force. I was opposed to it because it is a High Risk Profession... Tragically, I was unable to convince him that his opinion was wrong. He joined and died. He should have studied electronics and went to work at a Computer Factory. He was really smart... and had a great grasp of electronics...
Funeral Today in San Jose. 4/2/2015 8,000 People attended.
Article from the Newspaper... SJ Mercury News
SJPD Officer Michael Johnson: Police, family, community say goodbye to hometown hero.
A community came to a stop Thursday. It paused as a long procession of sorrow slowly traveled through streets lined with people paying their respects. At the downtown SAP Center, a somber sea of law enforcement, shoulder to shoulder, gathered to mourn the death of San Jose police Officer Michael Johnson.
It was there, amid an emotional day of tears and anguish, that David Solis made a simple request. Solis, a police academy classmate of Johnson, noted the "Shark Tank" normally was the site of raucous hockey games.
"This is obviously something different," said Solis, now a Menlo Park officer. "But I truly believe Mike is looking down on us right now. So I would like us to give Mike a standing ovation for the life that he gave to us."
And for the next two minutes, SAP roared with the sound of deafening cheers and clapping.
They stood to thank a man who was shot and killed in the line of duty on March 24 while responding to an emergency call. But true to Solis' words, this memorial, which drew more than 8,000 people, focused on his life, not his death. Colleagues remembered him as the epitome of everything a police officer should be -- fair, firm and compassionate. Family remembered him as someone who always was there for them.
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, the head of the Catholic Diocese of San Jose, compared Johnson, who was 38, to a meteorite that flashes across the sky and disappears all too quickly.
"They don't last long, but those who experience their light remain forever dazzled," McGrath said. "And that was true with Mike."
California Attorney General Kamala Harris, the state's top law enforcement official, said Johnson's death underscores the inherent risks police face every day they put on a uniform.
"This ultimate sacrifice is an eternal reminder that safety comes at a supreme price, and that price must always be remembered by a grateful state and her people," Harris said.
In the time-honored tradition of police memorials, law enforcement came from around the country, representing agencies from distant states, including Illinois, Texas and New York. But the death of Johnson, a married, 14-year veteran of the force, has been most keenly felt in his hometown of San Jose.
That's why residents took to the streets as the procession made its way from a Los Gatos funeral home to SAP, evoking the sort of patriotism seen on the Fourth of July. Diane Urbano and Patrick Donahue held signs that read "Rest In Peace Michael Johnson" in Los Gatos. Small children in strollers waved tiny American flags.
At St. Lucy Catholic Parish church on Winchester Boulevard, bells tolled as more than 350 schoolchildren in their blue plaid uniforms stood quietly, also holding American flags, as the motorcade passed.
"All of us are so appreciative of the sacrifices all police officers have made for the community," Pastor Kevin Joyce said. "We all feel this tragedy."
Marianne Williams and Carol Jerger stopped ironing church linens for Easter Sunday to join the sidewalk tribute.
"He's one of ours," said Williams, choking up. "Police have been so good to me over the years."
As the motorcade passed Santana Row, Morgan Hill resident Terry Shaffer waved a large American flag, tears filling his eyes.
Jeff Sauer, a 20-year San Jose resident, said he often walks his dog through Jeffrey Fontana Park, past the bronze statue honoring the last SJPD officer killed on duty, in 2001. He said news of Johnson's death impacted him much differently this time.
"It's such a tough job they have, and I know they're understaffed," said Sauer, 47. "I was a younger man last time this happened -- I have a different level of respect now."
At SAP, an entire length of Autumn Street was filled, rows deep with police officers and their families who were silent as the motorcade arrived. Law enforcement officers -- including from departments in Los Angeles, Riverside, Benicia, Vacaville, Lodi, Fresno and Hanford -- saluted the hearse carrying Johnson.
Inside the arena, the crowd was pin-drop quiet as a bagpipe player and honor guard escorted pallbearers carrying the fallen officer's casket to the foot of a stage.
Speakers remembered Johnson as a loving husband, son and uncle, loyal friend, committed police officer and shining light in the lives of the people who knew him best.
Jamie Radack, Johnson's older sister, offered the crowd a glimpse into her brother's upbringing and his apparent destiny to protect and serve, in part to follow in their father's footsteps as a police officer.
"I knew he would grow up to become a cop," Radack said. "Whenever Mike and I played cops and robbers as kids, he always insisted on being the cops and I always had to be the bad guys.
"That turned out to be fortuitous, not just because Mike grew up to become a cop, but I grew up to become a lawyer," she said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
Radack also recalled her brother's commitment to mastering everything he did.
"He didn't just play chess, he was captain of the chess team," she said. "He didn't just do jiujitsu, he became an instructor. He didn't just make a cheesecake, he made the best damned cheesecake you ever had from our grandma's supersecret recipe. And he not only kept the recipe secret, he literally stored it in his gun safe. He didn't just scuba dive, he dove with great white sharks in the Farallon Islands."
And she lamented the loss of a person who was tirelessly devoted to his family. Her brother was the one who helped with every move, always was the designated driver and made it to every family event no matter how briefly, sometimes while in uniform.
He shared his love of martial arts with both her children, teaching his niece how to do a sleeper-hold when she was 3. He would play Barbies with her, too.
"Mike loved his family with his entire heart and he expressed that love by always being present," she said. "And now, he's gone."
Police Chief Larry Esquivel described March 24 as the hardest day of his career. But Esquivel added that he and the rest of the department have been heartened by the vast outpouring of public support in the wake of the tragedy.
"The state of the San Jose Police Department is strong, and that's because of officers like Michael," Esquivel said. —... This horrific event has galvanized our city. It's made our big city feel like a small community."
Solis remembered his friend chose "to live differently," and that included becoming a police officer. He spoke directly to current police academy cadets and told them that in the face of the tragedy, to turn to Johnson's sense of duty as inspiration.
It was a plea made all the more poignant by the fact that Fontana was a member of the same academy class as Johnson.
"To Mike," he added, "We thank you for your life and your sacrifice to us. Death did not make you a hero. You were already a hero while you lived. You are forever stitched to us, bonded to us, and now your heart will beat through ours."
The memorial concluded with one final police ritual. A San Jose police dispatcher broadcast was piped into the arena, making a symbolic, last call.
"Officer Michael Johnson, badge 3718," the dispatcher said. "Officer Johnson, you will always be remembered and honored for your service and bravery. End of watch, March 24, 2015. Attention all units: Resume all normal traffic."
Then, the procession reformed outside to complete this painful journey at Oak Hill Cemetery, where a private funeral service was scheduled. Officers streamed out of SAP, some wiping their eyes and hugging one another. They once again lined up to salute Johnson and his family.
One officer instructed others to stand straight and bring their right hands to their heads in salute.
"It's time for him to go home."
Staff writers Julia Prodis Sulek, Katie Nelson, Erin Ivie, and Sal Pizarro contributed to this report.
HOW TO HELP
Donations to support the family of Officer Michael Johnson can be made online at sjpoa.com/donations or by mail to the San Jose Police Officers' Association, 1151 N. Fourth St., with checks payable to SJPOACF with "Michael Johnson" in the memo line.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_27839580/sjpd-officer-michael-johnson-police-family-community-say
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