Rodney Joseph Johnson was a 40-year-old Houston Police Department officer killed after a traffic stop on September 21, 2006. A veteran of the U.S. Army and a former corrections officer, he joined HPD in 1994 and had been honored with two Lifesaving Awards and the Texas Medal of Valor. On the night he died he stopped a white Ford pickup near William P. Hobby Airport for speeding. The driver, Juan Leonardo Quintero, could not produce a license and was handcuffed and placed in the back of Johnson’s patrol car.

While Officer Johnson was writing a report, Quintero reportedly moved his handcuffed hands to the front, drew a concealed 9mm handgun from his waistband and shot Johnson four times in the back of the head. Johnson managed to push an emergency button; backup arrived and found Quintero still handcuffed in the backseat with the gun. Johnson was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital and pronounced dead. The killing drew widespread attention and prompted legal action tied to Quintero and to the landscaping firm that had employed him.