A Loudoun County, Virginia, man who shot two sheriff’s deputies has been found guilty of attempted murder.
The jury convicted 41-year-old Douglas Johnson, of Sterling, on Tuesday after a seven-day trial. He was found guilty of nine other felonies, including malicious wounding and multiple firearms charges, as well.
On Dec. 24, 2017, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a domestic violence call on the 46000 block of Hollow Mountain Place. Deputies interviewed the defendant, his wife and his 19-year-old daughter, who all lived in the house.
The incident stemmed from an argument between Johnson and his 19-year-old daughter that escalated into a physical altercation, a police statement said.
Johnson was inside a bedroom in the house and became angry when deputies told him that he was going to be arrested. He started yelling at his family, and officers tried to speak calmly to him to explain why he was being arrested.
Johnson dove into the bedroom closet and grabbed a loaded gun that he had hidden earlier that afternoon, according to a news release from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office.
Johnson fired three times, wounding two deputies, who, along with another officer, were able to restrain Johnson and get the gun away from him. One of the officers stunned the defendant. None of the officers drew a firearm until after Johnson started shooting, the news release said.
The wounded deputies were taken to the hospital for multiple gunshot wounds. Both have since returned to their jobs with the sheriff’s office.
During the trial, Johnson said that he was trying to kill himself and that he was not conscious of firing the gun due to the effects of being stunned and restrained.
The prosecutor countered that Johnson did not mention he was trying to kill himself when he was interviewed by the lead detective hours after the shooting.
Johnson remains in custody and will be sentenced in December.
