Missoula Police Use Taser on Knife-Wielding Man

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On September 4, 2026, four Missoula Police Department Officers were dispatched to the area of Howard Raser and Grant Creek. The reporting party, Jane Doe, reported her boyfriend, Gregery Johnson, was inside her trailer and threatening to destroy it. Law enforcement was aware that Johnson had multiple appearance warrants and a caution for being known to possess knives. 

The officers arrived and observed Johnson standing at the door and moving in and out of the trailer. Doe confirmed there were no firearms inside, but Johnson would have access to knives. An officer yelled out to Johnson to see if Johnson would come out and talk. Johnson exited the trailer and took a bladed stance from the officers.  

All four officers saw Johnson produce a large, fixed-blade knife that he raised above his head. All four officers drew their firearms for fear of their own safety, along with the safety of their fellow officers. According to the officers, Johnson was approximately 15 to 20 feet from them and could easily close the distance before anyone could react and harm any of them with the knife, which could easily kill someone. At one point, Johnson took two to three steps towards an officer while being told to put down the knife. All four officers knew that Johnson could close the distance between them before they would have time to react. 

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Escalating Tensions

One officer noticed that the other three officers had their pistols out and decided to holster his pistol and draw out his taser. Meanwhile, Johnson was yelling “kill me.” Johnson continued yelling things to the effect of “you’re going to have to kill me”, “shoot me”, and “either kill me or leave; those are your options.” These statements, along with Johnson holding a knife, further caused all four officers to fear that they would be seriously harmed and such attempts were imminent.  

After a brief standoff, Johnson dropped the knife, but continued to be aggressive. Johnson took a half step forward and balled up his hands in a clenched fist before stating something to the effect of “you better kill me mother f***er.” An officer observed Johnson take a step forward and then step backwards, again yelling, “you had better f***ing kill me.”  

Johnson continued refusing to comply with commands. An officer saw Johnson stepping back towards the knife and got within arm’s reach of it. At this point, the officer deployed his taser. The officer had to deploy his taser five times before Johnson was subdued. During the deployment of the taser, Johnson aggressively attempted to close the distance between himself and the officers.  

READ MORE: Missoula News - Crime Reports

Arrest Outcome and Charges

Ultimately, once subdued by the taser, Johnson was placed in the WRAP restraint and transported to St. Patrick Hospital for medical clearance. Johnson was medically cleared and then transported to the Missoula County Detention Facility. The knife was seized as evidence. 

Johnson is currently being charged with four counts of felony assault on a peace officer. His bond was set at $20,000. 

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.