Louis Johnson Jr. was killed following a car chase that ended in gunfire, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday. Police shot and killed the 30-year-old Seattle man after he fled from officers in Longview after paramedics revived him with Narcan. No officers were harmed in the exchange. Investigators recovered a 9mm pistol with no serial number. Law enforcement said it was an illegally manufactured “ghost gun.”
Narcan, also known as naloxone, is a medication designed to reverse opioid overdoses and save lives. Narcan, an opioid receptor antagonist, works by rapidly reversing the life-threatening effects of opioid overdoses. It can restore normal breathing and consciousness to an individual experiencing an overdose. Cowlitz 911 dispatchers received reports around 2 p.m. of a man passed out in a car in the Minami Teriyaki drive-thru at 1208 15th Ave. Restaurant staff were not able to wake him, according to the sheriff’s office.
Paramedics arrived and used naloxone on the man, who woke up and became aggressive, the sheriff’s office said. He allegedly threatened medical personnel and then left the scene in an orange Dodge Challenger “showing signs of impairment,” the sheriff’s office said.
Narcan has minimal potential for abuse or misuse, making it a safe and effective tool in the fight against overdoses. Still, police had to chase Johnson and block him in near 19th Avenue and Florida Street, where he allegedly pulled out a pistol and started shooting at the officers, the sheriff’s office said. Three Longview police officers fired back, hitting and killing Johnson.
The availability of Narcan varies from place to place, but efforts are underway to make it more widely accessible. Many states in the U.S. have implemented “standing orders” that allow pharmacists to dispense Narcan without an individual prescription. In some areas, community organizations distribute Narcan kits to at-risk populations and offer training on its use. The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team is investigating the shooting. The officers involved in the shooting have not been identified.
