New details released in Fayetteville police shooting death of Jada Johnson
Editor's note: This is an updated version of the original story. The officer involved in the shooting death of Jada Johnson was identified by the Fayetteville Police Department on Wednesday as Officer Zacharius Borom. Borom's name was incorrect in a search warrant application filed with the courts and as a result, incorrect in the original story.
The two officers involved in the fatal shooting of a Fayetteville woman are identified in court records obtained by The Fayetteville Observer on Tuesday.
According to a request for a search warrant in the case, Officer Zacharius Borom and Sgt. Timothy Rugg were the Fayetteville officers on scene when Jada Johnson, 22, was fatally shot in her grandfather's Colgate Drive living room. The warrant named Borom as the officer who shot Johnson.
Police were called to the home of Rick Iwanski, Johnson's grandfather, on the evening of July 1 after Maria Iwanski, Johnson's grandmother, called 911 at Johnson's request and reported an attempted break-in by four men. Johnson had asked her grandmother to call after seeing vehicles she believed belonged to friends of an abusive ex-boyfriend who had threatened her life and the lives of her family members, Rick Iwanski said. Police found no evidence of a break-in, an official said.
After officers had been at the home for some time, Johnson — who earlier in the day had been released from the hospital for a mental health evaluation — pulled out a handgun and threatened to kill herself, according to Rick Iwanski and the court record.
According to the document, at one point, Johnson tucked the firearm under her arm to grab a drink of water, prompting Rugg to try to disarm her, and a struggle ensued.
"Johnson was able to get free from Sergeant Rugg (and) ... Johnson attempted to grab the gun she previously had in her possession, at which time Officer Zacharius (Borom) discharged his weapon at Johnson and struck her," the document, written by an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation, said.
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The Iwanskis said that Johnson was shot approximately seven times in the back. The court record does not address the number of shots or where Johnson was hit.
Johnson died on the scene from her injuries, according to the warrant. Officers later seized shell casings and projectiles from Iwanski's home, the search warrant states.
Borom and Rugg have been placed on paid administrative leave while the State Bureau of Investigation and the Fayetteville Police Department's Internal Affairs Unit conduct separate probes into the shooting, Assistant Police Chief James Nolette said on the morning after the killing.
Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Names of officers in fatal shooting of Fayetteville woman revealed
