Gunman's Victim Recalled As A 'Gentle Giant'

Gunman's victim recalled as a 'gentle giant'
By Michael Drost | Washington Times

"This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all forms," the president said in a statement. Early Wednesday evening, the museum released a statement declaring its shock and grief over the incident. "Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns died heroically in the line of duty. There are no words to express our grief and shock over these events," the statement read. "He served on the museum's security staff for six years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns' family." On Wednesday, a uniformed officer and four civilians lowered the U.S. flag outside of the museum doors to half-staff.

The victim in Wednesday's fatal shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was described by friends and colleagues as a "gentle giant" who had died "heroically in the line of duty," having served at the institution for six years as a security guard.

Leaving behind a wife of one year and a 12-year-old son, Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, 39, was killed Wednesday afternoon when a gunman opened fire at the museum.

Authorities say the suspected shooter, 88-year-old James W. von Brunn, a convicted felon, espoused anti-Semitic ideology on a Web site featuring him and was praised by white supremacists for serving 6 years in prison after trying to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve Board in 1981. Read more