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Pistol-Packing Granny Sued Over Shooting
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 30, 2009
Modified Mar 30, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 30, 2009
Modified Mar 30, 2009
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Back in 2006, 56-year-old Margaret Johnson, who uses a motorized scooter because of a dislocated hip and herniated disk, was choked on Lenox Avenue in Harlem by Devon Johnson (no relation), a man arrested 9 times for robbery. But because she was on her way to the shooting range for a little target practice, she had her .357 magnum all lit to pop, and shot Johnson in the arm. Cops followed a trail of blood to his apartment and arrested him, but he beat the charge by claiming that Johnson shot him because he kicked her Shih Tzu after it attacked him. (For reference, here is a photo of the vicious Shih Tzu breed.)
Now, three years later, Johnson the dog-kicker (and alleged mugger) is suing Johnson the gunslinger and the Lenox Terrace apartment complex where she resides for $5 million because, according to his lawyer, building management "should have known they had a tenant walking around with a loaded weapon. What's grandma doing walking the streets with a loaded gun?" Gee, maybe to protect herself from purse-snatching scumbags? (The handgun is licensed to Johnson; she acquired it back when she was a city bus driver.) The lawyer says his client suffered permanent nerve damage from the shooting.
Margaret Johnson has refused to retain an attorney, telling the Post, "I'm not spending a dime on that son-of-a-bitch. This boils my blood. Why is he picking on me again?" It so happens that she's the granddaughter of Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, a famous Harlem gangster who's been portrayed in movies like American Gangster. Her pedigree might explain her love for firearms; she used to own an Uzi submachine gun, among other things. So maybe Devon Johnson should consider himself lucky he walked a way with just a bullet in the arm? She tells the Post, "I'm a peaceful person. I wish that I had killed him. I didn't think you had to pay to get mugged in New York City."
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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