What if the police raid that killed a 92-year-old woman was based on information they had fabricated? On November 21, 2006, Atlanta narcotics officers went to the home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston with a no-knock warrant, believing they were searching for drugs. But the warrant itself had been obtained using false information. According to the Justice Department, Officer Jason Smith falsely claimed that a confidential informant had purchased crack cocaine from Johnston's home. The informant had not made that purchase. When officers forced their way into the house, Johnston fired one shot from a .38-caliber revolver through the door. It hit nobody. The officers responded with 39 rounds. Johnston was struck five or six times, and one of those shots was fatal. Then investigators discovered something even more disturbing. After searching the house and finding no drugs, Officer Smith planted three bags of marijuana in Johnston's basement. Officers also submitted cocaine as evidence while falsely claiming it had been purchased from her home. The officers then met and agreed on a false account of what had happened, which they repeated to homicide investigators. But the story eventually began to unravel. Two officers, Gregg Junnier and Jason Smith, pleaded guilty to state and federal charges, including voluntary manslaughter and conspiracy to violate Johnston's civil rights. A third officer, Arthur Tesler, later pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to violate Johnston's civil rights. In 2009, all three former officers were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the conspiracy surrounding Johnston's death. The case also triggered a broader federal investigation into misconduct within the Atlanta Police Department's narcotics unit and led to reforms. Kathryn Johnston was 92 years old. She was inside her own home when police came through the door. The warrant was based on information that officers themselves had fabricated. And after she was killed, those same officers tried to create a story to justify what had happened. Her name was Kathryn Johnston. This caption is based primarily on U.S. Department of Justice records and contemporary reporting.

What if the police raid that killed a 92-year-old woman was based on information they had fabricated? On November 21, 2006, Atlanta narcotics officers went to the home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston with a no-knock warrant, believing they were searching for drugs. But the warrant itself had been obtained using false information. According to the Justice Department, Officer Jason Smith falsely claimed that a confidential informant had purchased crack cocaine from Johnston's home. The informant had not made that purchase. When officers forced their way into the house, Johnston fired one shot from a .38-caliber revolver through the door. It hit nobody. The officers responded with 39 rounds. Johnston was struck five or six times, and one of those shots was fatal. Then investigators discovered something even more disturbing. After searching the house and finding no drugs, Officer Smith planted three bags of marijuana in Johnston's basement. Officers also submitted cocaine as evidence while falsely claiming it had been purchased from her home. The officers then met and agreed on a false account of what had happened, which they repeated to homicide investigators. But the story eventually began to unravel. Two officers, Gregg Junnier and Jason Smith, pleaded guilty to state and federal charges, including voluntary manslaughter and conspiracy to violate Johnston's civil rights. A third officer, Arthur Tesler, later pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to violate Johnston's civil rights. In 2009, all three former officers were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the conspiracy surrounding Johnston's death. The case also triggered a broader federal investigation into misconduct within the Atlanta Police Department's narcotics unit and led to reforms. Kathryn Johnston was 92 years old. She was inside her own home when police came through the door. The warrant was based on information that officers themselves had fabricated. And after she was killed, those same officers tried to create a story to justify what had happened. Her name was Kathryn Johnston. This caption is based primarily on U.S. Department of Justice records and contemporary reporting.