MIAMI (WSVN) - Police officers packed the streets of South Florida to pay their respects to a City of Miami Police officer who died a few weeks after he was injured while on duty.
A large procession took place on Friday, one day after the death of 28-year-old officer Aubrey Johnson.
“His classmates from the academy and the people he currently works with are just torn to pieces,” Tommy Reyes, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said.
Johnson worked for the department for almost five years, but he’s no stranger to the law enforcement agency. His father is a retired staff member, and his mother is a retired dispatcher.
“Every picture I see, he’s smiling or making some funny face,” Reyes said. “I see lots of pictures with him and little kids. He seemed to love his job.”
According to Reyes, Johnson died about two weeks after he was injured while chasing a suspect on foot.
“I believe it was a torn tendon or a torn ligament,” he said. “He’s been out of work since attending physical therapy.”
Reyes said Johnson called his family from his home on Thursday to let them know something was wrong.
“He made a phone call to his family, and by the time they arrived, he was unconscious,” he said.
He was taken to Jackson North Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Friday morning, accompanied by many of his fellow officers, Johnson was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Miami. Police packed the streets to salute their fallen teammate.
In a tweet, City of Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said, “Your brothers and sisters in blue will truly miss you!”
The official cause of death is not yet known. According to Reyes, Johnson was tested Thursday for COVID-19, but that test came back negative.
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