Former KCPD officer pleads not guilty in Northland Walmart shooting

A former Kansas City police officer has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, after authorities said he allegedly shot and killed a man outside a Northland Walmart Wednesday.

Johnson, 47, faces charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action for his role in the death of 71-year-old Ronald Barnett. The shooting took place just before 4:30 p.m. in the Walmart parking lot, near the Boardwalk Shopping Mall.

According to an affidavit filed Thursday, Johnson encountered Barnett after buying two beers at the Walmart.

As Johnson exited the store on foot and Barnett drove into the parking lot, Johnson allegedly made an inflammatory gesture in Barnett’s direction, kicking off an escalating interaction that ended in Johnson allegedly shooting Barnett outside his parked car.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video, and police identified several witnesses.

About eight minutes after his license plate was broadcast to highway patrol, Johnson was arrested at an apartment complex about eight minutes away from the superstore.

Johnson was an officer with the Kansas City Police Department from December 2003 to February 2014, according to KCPD spokesperson Capt. Jake Becchina. He was last assigned to the department’s patrol bureau.

The type of pistol Johnson allegedly used in the shooting — a Glock 22 — is the most commonly used type of service weapon for American police officers, according to its manufacturer.

Appearing in Platte County court Friday via video, Johnson declined to make a statement to the court in association with his plea. He will be represented at future proceedings by a public defender.

Johnson will next appear in court on September 30 at 9 a.m.

His involvement in a 2023 civil lawsuit filed against another former KCPD officer, alleging the man threatened Johnson with lethal force during a 2020 altercation, will continue as planned.

According to the lawsuit, filed in federal court, former KCPD officer Jonathan Lenz allegedly accosted Johnson while he was leaving a private residence in his capacity as a self-employed traveling repairman.

Lenz, who said he was searching for a burglar in the area, allegedly pointed his service weapon at Johnson for more than ten minutes, prompting a 2021 investigation and apology by the Kansas City Office of Community Complaints.