Gun-toting granny in wheelchair sued for $5 million

A gun-toting grandmother who shot a man she says tried to mug her in her wheelchair in Harlem is being sued by the career criminal for $5 million (£3.5 million). Margaret Johnson, 59, whose grandfather was an infamous Harlem crime boss who inspired a character in the film Shaft, says that she now wishes she had killed Deron Johnson when she wounded him in the arm in 2006. “I’m a peaceful person. I wish that I had killed him,” Ms Johnson said. “I didn’t think you had to pay to get mugged in New York City.”

Ms Johnson, a retired bus driver who has a dislocated hip and ruptured disc, says that she was attacked while travelling on her motorised wheelchair to a shooting range for gun practice. She says that Deron Johnson, 48, no relation, tried to snatch her handbag and gold chain.

Ms Johnson is the granddaughter of the Harlem crime lord Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, who became famous for his battle with the gangster Dutch Shultz for control of the Harlem gambling racket. Her grandfather, who served time in Alcatraz, inspired the character Bumpy Jonas in the 1971 hit film Shaft as well as figuring in such films as The Cotton Club and American Gangster.



Taking a leaf out of his book, Ms Johnson pulled out her .357 Magnum and shot her suspected attacker in the left elbow. Police followed the trail of blood and caught up with him half a block away. “There are people like him in the world who like to take advantage of people like me,” she said after the incident. “Obviously, he didn’t know me. Actually I feel sick about the whole thing,” she said. “Picking on a handicapped woman is about as low as you can go. I feel sorry for him, but it was a choice he made.”

Mr Johnson, who has been jailed for drug dealing and has nine previous arrests for robbery, insisted that he was not trying to rob the disabled granny. He said that he kicked the woman’s shihtzu dog, Malika, after it attacked him, and the pet owner shot him.

He was acquitted at the trial and is now claiming $5 million in damages for permanent nerve damage suffered in the shooting. He is also suing the landlord of Ms Johnson’s housing estate for allowing a tenant to roam around with a loaded gun.