Officer Niles Frederick Johantgen, Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

Officer Niles Frederick Johantgen

Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

End of Watch Saturday, December 21, 1991

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Niles Frederick Johantgen

Officer Johantgen was shot and killed as he was frisking a suspect on Henry Thomas Drive.

Another man hit Officer Johantgen in the back of the head from behind, then shot him in the back of the head as he lay on the ground. The man who attacked him was upset that Officer Johantgen had arrested a man for drugs in the suspect's home and that he was searching three of the suspect's friends.

The suspect was sentenced to death in 1993. In 2017, the suspect agreed to life in prison without parole after an appeals judge threw out the death sentence.

Officer Johantgen was a United States Marine Corps veteran and served with the Atlanta Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Bio

Age 32
Tour 3 years
Badge Not available
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Life without parole

narcotics, arrest

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Niles was affectionately known as the “Russian” by everyone in Thomasville because of his resemblance to the character in the Rocky movie.
We worked the same beat so we often had conversations about the good and bad experiences of the night during shift change.
He had a very intimidating look but a genuine sense of duty to the people on his beat. Before his death, I recall having a conversation with a resident in Thomasville about him taking the time to bring groceries to an elderly person because that person didn’t have any transportation. It meant a lot to some of the residents to see him doing something that he didn’t have to do.

A.B. Calhoun Investigator
Atlanta Police Department

June 16, 2025