By Kevin Coughlin
Khyir Johnson is a lucky young man, according to his grandmother.
The 20-year-old was arrested late on Labor Day with a loaded weapon that had discharged, Vera White, a Morristown Housing Authority commissioner, said on Thursday.
She’s grateful that “well trained patrolmen” did not shoot her grandson.
“It could have been a sad day, with all the controversy over guns and police in the last few months” across the county, White said.
Morristown Officers Robert Mazza and Mark Underhill were on foot patrol in the vicinity of Manahan Village around 11:30 pm on Monday when they heard a gunshot.
Johnson was arrested without incident and a handgun was recovered at the scene, police said.
Police charged Johnson with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a defaced firearm. Municipal Judge Gary Troxell set bail at $50,000, and Johnson was sent to the Morris County Jail.
White said her grandson, who lived with her this summer while working for the Morristown Department of Public Works, made bail on Wednesday and returned to school in Virginia.
“He’s never been in trouble a day in his life,” said White, describing Johnson as a 4.0 student who made a dumb mistake by picking up a gun he found while walking home along Martin Luther King Avenue from a friend’s house.
“He picked it up wrong and fired it off,” White said.
Police said they were unaware of any victims, but requested that anyone with information call 973-538-2200 and ask for an on-duty detective. Anonymous tips also can be made to Morris County Crime Stoppers at 973-COP-CALL.
In the wake of highly publicized shootings of minorities by police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana, and the shooting of officers in Dallas, Morristown police stepped up their community outreach efforts over the summer.
The police chief has spoken in churches and offered to take civic leaders on night patrols, and officers escorted a Black Lives Matter march and posed for photos with participants.
Some residents want more patrols, however. A woman from the Manahan Village public housing complex complained last month to the town council about gunshots.
In 2012, the town’s then-chief housing inspector told a judge that gunfire was so common in his Second Ward neighborhood that he carried a licensed gun for protection. Later, he cited gunfire as a reason for moving from the neighborhood.
White, who works in the town’s building and construction department, said Monday’s incident left her grandson “very remorseful and very humbled.
“He’s a nice calm kid. He did a stupid thing,” she said. “We don’t uphold wrongdoing in my family. But we don’t stop loving you, either.”
White was alerted to the situation by a 4 a.m. call on Tuesday. She praised God and the police department for the outcome of that call.
“I’m from Paterson and I know the killings going on there,” White said. “I know five mothers in Paterson last week got calls that were irreversible. Mine wasn’t that bad.”
If the pistol was “defaced” then it was probably altered & the trigger could have been part of that, especially in a neighborhood where gun incidents are common, some criminals likely prefer hair triggers.
I’m not buyin either
Excellent outcome. Now we’ll see if the mainstream media pick up this story, or are they only concerned with bad news.
This is not the first time our police have demonstrated good judgement. Proud to be part of the entire Morristown family.
Proud of the police officers in Morristown and of the outcome for this young man. A big win win!!
The entire Mazza extended Family is VERY PROUD of the Leadership and Calmness displayed by our nephew, Morristown Officer, Robert Mazza and his partner, Officer Mark Underhill.
Our family shares values with Commissioner Vera White““We don’t uphold wrongdoing in my family. But we don’t stop loving you, either.” We also praise God and the Morristown police department’s training for this awesome outcome.
Found a gun and it just went off? I’m sorry but that story doesn’t hold water.