Washington – The security guard involved in today’s shooting attack at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. has died of his wounds.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
According to a source, the guard, who has been identified as 39-year-old Stephen Tyrone Johns, actually stood in the assailant’s line of fire to take at least one bullet before drawing his own firearm to fire back. He apparently did so to block visitors from the assailant’s gun.
Officer Johns, served on the Museum’s security staff for six years.
VIN News hails the guard as a true hero—now, sadly, posthumously so.
To us, the attacker’s choice of venue makes his gunfire a bullet in the heart of every American Jew—and thus, the guard’s heroic move makes him a champion and defender of Jews of the highest order.
On behalf of the entire American Jewish community, we extend our very deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family.
A true hero
Boruch hamakedesh shem shomayim berabim. Eil mola rachamim shochain bimromim. A fellow human being took a bullet and was killed doing his job as protecting the memory of the six million jews who were killed al kiddush hashem , another victim was claimed today by an animal who thinks he is human . eisov sonai leyaokov I guess untill moshiach we will suffer from these animals
Kol HaKavod to him!
…”a bullet in the heart of every American Jew”… wrong! a bullet in the heart of each and every American!, in the heart of any decent person on the universe.
It simply defies logic for Matt to write “eisov sonai leyaokov” in the same breath that he seeks to extol the virtue of an Eisav (non-Jew) – the same Eisav who put his life in the line of fire to preserve the memory of the murdered Jews. Apparently Matt, not all “eisov sonai leyaokov.” Rather it appears, many of Yakob sonei Eisav.
may this righteous person who paid with his life to protect people he did not know rest in peace and may his family be comforted in knowing what a righteous person he was
Baruch Dayan HaEmet. Eisav ahavat et Yaakov — at least enough for one brave man to give up his life to save Jews. I hope that our rabbis can find a heter for some observant Jews to attend his funeral.
Was from the CHASIDEI UMOS HAOLAM
in yad veshaim his name should be on the rightous among nations
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. yikes I was supposed to have been there
Boruch Dayan Emes.
The holocaust museum was established to show the world the hatred of the nazis, yemach shemom. Now, it is a sign of the hatred that still exists.
The murderer also had joined in the “Obama doesn’t have a birth certificate” nonsense:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2141655/posts
All the museums in the DC area should arm their guards with body armor to prevent such a tragedy. Baruch Dayan Emeth.
If chas v’sholom something similar happened at one of our mosdos, how would people react? Which yeshiva / seminary has a guard, let alone an armed guard? How many of these have ever–even once–practiced a ‘lock down’ drill [which is practiced, along with fire drills etc, in public schools] wherein teachers etc lock their doors, cover their windows, and practice hiding with lights out with their students until the ‘all clear’ signal is given (usually by the principal walking around from classroom to classroom with a police officer and opening each door with a master key–this is because a nut with a gun might force a principal to make a false ‘all clear’ announcement over a P.A. system)? How many yeshivas or schools have practiced emergency evacuations? How many have any sort of security plan whatsoever?
Why doesn’t anyone care about this?
Boruch Dayan Emes.
This black man is a hero and he is a friend of the Jewish people forever. I will remember his brave and courageous act of justice. May his family be comforted. May he rest in peace.
A True Hero!!-I was just there and to think I passed this Gentleman-I hope I said Hello.
This is a lesson for everyone to be nice to everyone-who knows what tomorrow brings.
What a hero. My heart goes out to his family. I wish them comfort. Perhaps we can do something tangible — such as set up a trust fund to help pay for his children’s college education, if he has children, help his wife, etc. (Security guards are usually not highly paid, so if he left behind a family, they may face some difficult economic times during this very painful time.) If any one hears about any type of efforts along these lines, it would be great to post it here.
It would be a great kiddush Hashem if all of us little posters and readers of the Vos iz Nais blog; Modern Orthodox, Centrist, Charedi, non – Orthodox, etc., all pitched in a little bit to help this man’s family.
From the Vos Iz Nais family, to the Steven Tyrone Johns family, a token of our esteem for a fellow human being. The money could go to help the family, to establish some memorial for this wonderful man, and to show his community, that our community never forgets those who help it.
T’hai nafsha tserurah b’tsror hachayim!
He Should go straight to gan eden.
Condolences to his family.
This is a hero. Not an actor, ball player, golf player or singer!
This is the second assasination in two weeks by someone motivated to kill by extreme, radical views. First it was the abortion doctor in Kanasa; today it was supposed to have been jews in the museum in D.C. does this not suggest that those whose rhetoric inflames hatred are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Both the doctor in Kansas and today’s hero were the victims of this growing trend to incite violence. Hashem should console their families.
May he rest in peace.
This article made me cry. Does anyone know contact information for his family? I’d love to send a letter. Such an unbelievable act of bravery for a stranger. Something to learn from.
What an unbelievable act of bravery for a stranger. Something for us to learn from. Is there contact information for the family? I’d love to send a letter.
From previous experience, and of course, everyone has to ask their person Rav, the halachah, that was explained to me, is that we, as Jews, are not allowed to go inside a church’s service. We are allowed to go into another part of the church if there are no statues present. If there is an unveiling, we are allowed to go to the unveiling, but we can not look at the mace (the body). We are allowed to give condolences to the family at the unveiling, which normally takes place at a funeral home, not a church. Standing outside sounds like a great idea.
May he rest in peace and his family should have piece
Send food to their home, make sure they want for nothing during their mourning period, visit if possible to comfort the mourners. To stand outside the church and help however we can without avodah zarah would be the right thing.
Something amazing over at Dailykos:
Someone (whom I know from other posts is a Jew who like me is a loud supporter of Israel in comments on that site) typed in the words to kaddish. At least 27 have responded by typing, “Amen”. Then someone typed in a Protestant blessing for the dead, to which many responded “amen”. Then an appropriate verse from the New Testament, to which many responded with an “amen”. Then someone typed in the beginning of the Catholic mass for the dead, to which many responded with an “amen”. And then a prayer from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, to which many responded “amen”.
Someone then suggested that Mr. Johns is a victim of the Holocaust. I commented that he should be honored at Yad VaShem.
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum will be closed tomorrow in memory of Mr. Johns.
Radical extremism hurts everyone. This chazer went in search of yidden to kill and instead kill a brave a noble man who risked his own life to save others.
This man’s family will never be the same, and neither should any of us be. Hate only causes destruction. This African American man got up and went to work like any other day… and he became a hero… but he also became yet another tragic victim of antisemitism. Hate destroys lives…. even the lives of those who are not the target of the hatred. I’ve seen people write frequently about wishing death on “all Arabs”, death to Bush, death to Obama, death to liberals, etc. This man’s tragic death should serve as an example of what genuine hatred can do. Have fair and honest debate and discussion… but leave out the venom. Hate only breeds more hate until it erupts somewhere and someone else ends up dead.
If someone can get information about where to send money to support his family, please post it here.
Baruch Dayan HaEmet. Righteous amongst the Gentiles.
Is there a way to set up a fund his 11 year old son?
This was a kind man with a kind heart. Violence is never acceptable. Left or right we need to realize violence begets violence. As a Catholic I weep with the Jewish community in this time of loss.
I visited that museum last year as part of a kosher tour. The tour guide explained to us as we were walking in that most of the visitors to that museum are, by far, not Jewish. Everyone should weep at this terrible tragedy, not only Jews and not only Americans..
Yiy, this makes me so sad to see posts that promote killing a single human life on this site. I am sad about the divisiveness in our country. I hope that in honor of the holocaust, we must say that no murder may be justified. These two men – Mr. Johns and Dr. Tiller, and the soldier who was murdered at the army recruitment center this week are a very sad loss to our community of B’nai Adam, and may we do everything in our power to make sure that they never happen again. Killing out of hatred is an attack on the civil liberties that have been so kind to Jews in this country and have helped us to thrive here in safety. This is something that we should protect, and we must never condone any killing by a hate group. May their memories be a blessing. May we all live lives of Tzedek and gimilut chasedim.