Emotions ran high during the Reno Police Department’s first town hall of the year, on Thursday, Feb. 12, at North Valleys High School. The main concerns community members expressed involved the officer-involved shooting death of Michael J. Johnson on Feb. 3.
In the audience was Deanna Hover, who identified herself as one of the first callers who prompted RPD to conduct a welfare check on Johnson. Hover had seen Johnson at the top of the Wells Avenue Bridge and was concerned for his safety.
“It’s incredibly difficult to see him, and then come back an hour later to see his body on the ground,” Hover said through tears.
In the body cam footage released by RPD, officers told Johnson they had received three calls about him sitting on the ledge of the bridge.
It took coaxing from two officers for Johnson to start moving toward Kuenzli Street. By the end of the video, there were at least five officers on scene. Johnson appeared more agitated as more officers approached him.
The footage shows an officer at the scene telling other officers that he encountered Johnson in a prior incident, during which Johnson was in possession of a pocketknife.
Another officer asked Johnson to drop his knife. Johnson first refused, then told officers that he didn’t have one. At this point in the released footage, Johnson has his hands in his pockets. No pocketknife is visible.
Johnson refused to take his hands out of his pockets. The officer who asked Johnson to drop his knife took out his pistol and continued to approach Johnson. The footage shows Johnson lunging at the officer with a “tow-style chain.” The officer then shot Johnson multiple times. Johnson fell to the ground; officers started applying first aid.
When paramedics arrived, they declared Johnson dead.
Mutual aid groups and community members demand change
One week after Johnson was killed, mutual aid groups Family Soup Mutual Aid, Reno Hearts You and My.Commun.it3, along with activists Lily Baran and Nath’Angela Davis, shared a call to action and a list of demands on Instagram. They called for people to comment at the Reno City Council Meeting on Feb. 11 and at the Feb. 12 RPD Town Hall. They also demanded the immediate release of all unaltered body cam footage and the names of the officers involved; reduced funding for the police department; more funding for housing-first outreach and unarmed mental health specialists; and the end of surveillance contracts with Flock Safety (primarily known for license plate-reading and surveillance cameras) and BRINC (which makes law-enforcement drones).
“We don’t want the police to participate in (mental health response),” said one community member who did not identify themself during the RPD town hall meeting on Thursday.
Another speaker, who also did not give a name, urged community members to check on people dealing with mental health crises themselves.
“Don’t feel unsafe,” they said. “Get out of the car, and check on that person. Call your friends; call your neighbor; call your family member. Call anyone.” Some audience members applauded in agreement.
Others called for more investment in the department’s Mobile Outreach Safety Team (MOST), a team of mental health counselors that can provide on-scene de-escalation and assist with calls that involve mental health.
RPD MOST operates seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 11 p.m., with one to four clinicians working at any point within these hours. In 2024, they handled 2,946 mental health responses.
“I would love to hear more about the justification for spending (millions on surveillance), when the MOST team … only has about one to four team members,” Anna Hurt said to RPD Chief Kathryn Nance.
“I think when you look at the data … officer involved use of force will decrease … because we have a better way to monitor and look at resources (using the surveillance tools), and increase our response,” Chief Nance said in response. “I do think it does help.”
Over the course of two years, the Reno City Council has approved a combined $2.3 million for surveillance technology—Flock Safety surveillance cameras in 2024, and BRINC first-responder drones in 2025.
At the Sept. 10, 2025, Reno City Council meeting, Chief Nance said during a discussion item that the department would like more MOST funding to expand the hours and bring on a case worker for more in-depth case management and better connection to services. While Mayor Hillary Schieve expressed support for more funding, no action has apparently been taken.
The MOST team did receive a $25,000 donation from Grace Church in January.
Town hall tensions
While budgeting concerns, surveillance and the death of Michael J. Johnson were top of mind for many at the TPD Town Hall, other attendees voiced different concerns—and on occasion, the attendees clashed. An elderly woman stormed out of the auditorium after shouting “shut up” repeatedly to a man heckling the police chief; the man was kicked out. Another woman called the crowd “incredibly disrespectful” regarding their treatment of Chief Nance.
In response, a crowd member shouted, “I think murder is disrespectful!”
The shooting of Johnson is currently being investigated by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.