Detroit man shot 7 times in 2016 saves 5 kids, carries disabled father out of burning home

Darian Johnson saves entire family from house fire

DETROIT – A Detroit man is being called a hero after he saved his entire family Wednesday night when his house started burning down.

Darian Johnson not only saved five children from the burning house, he also carried his disabled father out of danger.

Johnson is always on the move, even though he was once told he would never move again. He rides his bicycle from Detroit to a new job at a food prep business in Warren.

"Doctor said I'd never walk again," Johnson said. "I ride every day ... 24 miles a day."

Johnson had to move quickly when a mattress on the third floor caught fire. He got the children to safety, then tried to put out the fire.

"I was right here with a pot of water, trying to throw it over there," Johnson said.

With the children out of the house, his father, Anthony Johnson, a diabetic double amputee, was waiting on the second floor.

"I picked him up," Darian Johnson said. "We started walking down the stairs like this."

Johnson was shot seven times Feb. 1, 2016 by a masked robber. Two of the bullets hit him in the hip, and one in his back is still with him.

"If I bend over you can still see it in my back," Darian Johnson said.

He survived the attack, and he has helped his family survive a fire. But the fire badly damaged the family's home.

"I don't want charity," Darian Johnson said. "I want a place to call home. That's it."


About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.