A 40-year-old man is being remembered for his dedication to his firefighting career and his big smile after he was fatally shot while off-duty in Minneapolis.
Joseph C. Johns was a full-time firefighter with Eagan since 2020. He was also an on-call firefighter in Eden Prairie, where he lived, since 2015.
Joseph Johns (Courtesy of the Eden Prairie Fire Department)
On Sunday about 12:40 a.m., Minneapolis officers responded to a call about a shooting with two people injured in the 900 block of Cedar Avenue South. They found Johns, whom officers provided with medical care before he was transported to Hennepin Healthcare (HCMC). He died in the emergency room of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office.
Another man with injuries that were apparently not life-threatening arrived at HCMC in a private vehicle.
“Preliminary information indicates shots were fired across 9th St. at a group of people gathered in a parking lot behind 901 Cedar Ave. South,” Minneapolis police said in a Sunday statement. “Investigators say an exchange of gunfire then occurred.”
No one was under arrest as of early Monday afternoon. Police asked anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Mike Scott, interim Shakopee fire chief, was Eagan’s fire chief when they hired Johns.
Scott said people can get burned out after multiple days of serving on an interview panel, but he still remembers “the amount of energy and positivity Joseph brought to his interview,” which reenergized the entire interview panel.
“I told the others on the panel that we needed to hire him before someone else did,” Scott said Monday.
He remembered Johns as an “amazing worker” who offered wonderful patient care as a firefighter/EMT. Johns was the type of firefighter he always received positive comments about.
“He was loved by everyone,” Scott added.
The cities of Eagan and Eden Prairie said in Sunday statements that Johns “tragically passed away.”
“He was a valued and important member of the EPFD family and will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” Eden Prairie said in its statement.
Both cities said their hearts are with “Joseph’s family and our fire family.”
“We are grateful for everyone’s kindness, patience, and empathy as we navigate this moment of profound loss,” Eagan’s statement said. “We also want to acknowledge the invaluable support from neighboring departments in Burnsville and Inver Grove Heights, who are assisting with calls during this difficult time.”
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