An international team of forensic audio experts has reviewed body camera footage from the night a Valley trauma surgeon was shot from behind by Phoenix police and says the video does not support officers' claims that the doctor fired in their direction.
RELATED: Comprehensive coverage of "A Shot in the Dark" investigation
The findings come from Earshot, self-described as "the world's first non-profit organization using sound in the defense of human and environmental rights."
ABC15 asked Earshot to analyze body camera video from the three officers present during a chaotic 2022 shooting that led to the controversial prosecution of surgeon Dr. Kris Johnson, whose case is being condemned by outside policing and legal experts.
Earshot wrote, in part, “Based on our previous audio ballistic analysis of bullets fired towards a camera, we would expect to hear the distinct sound of a bullet 'whizzing by’… We do not hear such sounds in the officers' body cameras, suggesting the gunshots were not fired in the officers' direction.”
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The organization also said, based on its previous investigations, the sound of a bullet flying past a camera is audible up to 20 meters, or 60 feet, away.
Phoenix police and county prosecutors declined to comment on Earshot’s analysis.
But in official police reports, the involved officers stated that they heard a bullet “whiz by” them.
After reviewing the case file, including hundreds of police records and evidence photos, ABC15 could not find any physical evidence that shows bullets or bullet holes found behind or past the officers.
Johnson, who has not operated since the shooting, is charged with five felony counts, including four for aggravated assault, which appear to be based on the officers’ claims that he fired a gun in their direction.
Despite lenient plea agreements in other cases, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and the assigned prosecutor have refused to offer Johnson a deal for anything less than five to 10 years in prison, according to legal documents reviewed by ABC15.
If convicted at trial, which could start within the next few months, Johnson said he could face two decades in prison.
The Shooting
Just before 11 p.m. on June 30, 2022, a strange man appeared at the front door of Johnson's home.
His wife, Jill, a probation officer, was working late, and she believed the man was looking for a way inside and called 911. At the same time, Johnson went outside with his wife’s gun to make sure the man wasn't trying to get in through the back or side of the house.
Down the block, the doctor then saw two vehicles, several people, silhouetted by bright white floodlights blocking the road in and out of his neighborhood. He did not know those were Phoenix police vehicles. Officers were already on scene because neighbors had already called and reported the same man, a documented gang member, had been on their properties.
Johnson said he then made the biggest mistake of his life.
He walked about 60 yards away from the vehicles and fired a single warning shot straight into the sky, intended to scare off what he believed was a threat. He says he had no idea police were there.
Johnson’s neighborhood near 106th Drive and Colter is on the edge of the Valley and the area does not have street lights. Video shows officers did not activate their red and blue lights. And most critically, they never identify themselves as police, experts said.
When asked what would he have done if he saw red-and-blue police lights, Johnson replied, “Been right back inside. That would have been it. They're here. They got the guy. They'll sort it out from here. Thank you."
What followed the warning shot was chaos.
Officers fired 11 shots at Johnson. One struck him from behind, hitting him in the thigh. As he sprinted away in a panic, not knowing who was shooting at him, Johnson says he had three accidental discharges.
"There was one in the air, and when they started yelling, 'I will f***ing shoot you,' that's when I turned to run and the gun went off," Johnson said.
Evidence photos show some of Johnson’s rounds fired straight into the ground. In addition to shooting the doctor, the officers’ bullets also struck a house, walls, a vehicle, and a boat.
Johnson has repeatedly denied that he ever shot in the direction of the officers.
Earshot's Findings
Earshot sent ABC15 the following findings after reviewing the officers’ body camera footage.
"Based on our previous audio ballistic analysis of bullets fired towards a camera, we would expect to hear the distinct sound of a bullet 'whizzing' by, as documented in our investigations of the killing of Palestinian aid workers on March 23, 2025, in Gaza, in which bullets were fired within 20 metres of the camera; in our investigation of the white-flag killing of Ramzi Abu Sahloul in Gaza on January 22, 2024, where bullets are heard whizzing by and are seen making impact 13 metres from the camera; and in our investigation into the targeting of journalists in Deir al-Ghusun, West Bank, on May 4, 2024, where bullets are heard flying past the camera and making impact within a few metres of the camera. We do not hear such sounds in the officers' body cameras, suggesting the gunshots were not fired in the officers' direction. However, our conclusion is established on investigations that involved the use of larger calibre assault rifles. Given Johnson's use of a Glock 23 gen 4 handgun, we cannot rule out that the audio ballistic behaviour of Johnson's weaponry and its associated ammunition is different from our previous investigations."
The County Attorney
Johnson, who admits he made a mistake, is willing to plead guilty to the warning shot.
However, he said he will take his chance at trial because of the aggravated assault charges, which carry prison time that would take him away from his wife and two daughters.
A conviction on those charges would also likely lead to the loss of his medical license.
The doctor has publicly pleaded with County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
“Please take a real look at this. Take a look at the whole picture,” Johnson said during an interview with ABC15. “There's a lot more leading up to and afterwards, and that can't be ignored. I was out there for one reason that night, and that was to protect my family.”
While the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has repeatedly declined to comment on the case, Mitchell did respond to questions at a recent press conference when asked why she’s seeking prison for Johnson when she let the former state prison chief off with probation.
The same year as the doctor’s shooting, former Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan pointed a gun at Tempe police officers during an armed standoff, body camera video shows.
"(Ryan) did not fire his gun at police. He shot his sink before they got there," Mitchell said.
When pressed further, she said: "I distinguish between shooting the sink and shooting at people."
Mitchell’s comments came in late April before we contacted Earshot to look at the case.
The County Attorney’s comments highlight her office’s reliance on officers' verbal claims about bullets being fired at them without other physical evidence.
When asked specifically about Earshot’s findings, MCAO again declined to comment.
Are the officers' actions playing a role?
Experts said that Phoenix officers made serious errors the night of the shooting, and aggressively prosecuting Johnson may be an attempt to shield police from accountability.
"If I'm the bad guy and this is all my fault, then they're not at fault," Johnson said, when asked why he believes prosecutors are pushing so hard on his case.
A retired NYPD detective sergeant and criminal justice expert, Felipe Rodriguez, told ABC15 that officers' failure to identify themselves was a critical breakdown that contributed directly to the incident.
Phoenix said the officers' actions were found within policy.
A former Maricopa County prosecutor says the pressure to charge Johnson may not be coming from the evidence.
"There is a tremendous amount of pressure that police put on prosecutors. Prosecutors don't like to admit this, but police pressure prosecutors heavily to bring the charges they want against the people they want to be charged," said Derek Debus, a firearms and veterans attorney and former MCAO prosecutor.
One of the officers involved in the shooting has also been disciplined because of ABC15’s reporting.
ABC15 discovered Officer Anthony DeSanto commented on social media about Johnson’s case. We found laughing face emojis on an ABC15 Instagram video about the story.
Phoenix PD confirmed the post was made by DeSanto, and he received supervisory counseling for unprofessional conduct.
Legal experts say that matters.
"The jury is going to consider the fact that this officer is so biased about this incident that he's making jokes about it when they're considering whether or not a conviction is reasonable under the circumstances," Debus said. "And lastly, it shows just a complete level of disrespect for the court process and the seriousness of this case."
More evidence not considered by officials
Earshot’s audio analysis is not the only area where ABC15 considered evidence that police and prosecutors did not.
In the initial series of news investigative reports about the case, ABC15 broadcast extensive clips of security footage from inside Johnson's home. It supports the account given by Johnson and his wife.
Shortly after that story aired, prosecutors contacted Johnson's defense attorney to ask for the same video, ABC15 has learned. Despite having had a search warrant, police either did not obtain the footage, did not recognize its importance, or did not preserve it.
Johnson’s trial was set for late July.
However, court records show lawyers have requested an extension, which would push the start back another couple of months.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
