On October 21, 1981, 22-year-old Anthony Jerome Johnson, an African American patrol officer with less than a year on the Cleveland Division of Police, was shot and killed while responding to a bank robbery in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his partner had exited their patrol car when one of the suspects opened fire; Officer Johnson and his partner returned fire and paralyzed the shooter, but Johnson later died that evening at Brentwood Hospital.

Authorities identified the suspects as Leonard Jenkins, 27, and Lester Jordan, 56. Jenkins was sentenced to death for Johnson’s murder, a sentence later commuted to life without parole by the Ohio governor. Jordan was convicted of murder and robbery and received a life sentence; he died in prison in 1988.

Officer Johnson was survived by his wife Tracy, their young son Tony Jr., and other family members. His death had a profound effect on the family and the community.