Roll of Honor
Incident
Corporal Kenneth Johnson was shot and killed while conducting a holiday weekend public safety checkpoint in Berkeley County at 2:15 am.
He and other troopers were positioned on College Park Road, between I-26 and US 17A, and had stopped a pickup truck. As a trooper wrote the female driver a ticket for possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage, Corporal Johnson walked around the back of the truck to check the identity of the male passenger. As he did so, the man jumped out of the truck and opened fire, striking Corporal Johnson in the abdomen just below his protective vest. As the man attempted to escape, the other troopers returned fire, wounding him, and took him into custody.
The male subject was an escapee from a Charleston County work release detail. The female driver of the truck was also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. The male was convicted of seven counts, including murder, on May 18th, 2003, and was sentenced to death the following day. In October 2015, the man committed suicide by hanging himself in his jail cell.
Corporal Johnson had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 12 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-578E493B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Corporal Johnson gave the South Carolina Highway Patrol 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of South Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Johnson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Corporal Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In SC, 272 of 441 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.7% of this state's fallen. That is 61.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At South Carolina Highway Patrol, 20 of 52 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 38.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson's cause is highlighted.
How Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
51 officers from South Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
