Johnny Descheny, a former Navajo Nation Council delegate, told Farmington television station KOAT-TV that he had just parked his car when he saw Scott and John fighting and that the officer was hitting John with his baton. “Every time the guy got shot, his body just jerked—just jerked three times. And he just stood there. That’s when the officer went up, aimed at the guy’s head and shot him in the head,” Descheny said.

Police chief Mike Burridge absolved Scott. “Our agency conducted a professional and thorough internal and administrative investigation, which has found that Officer Scott acted appropriately and within the scope of departmental policy,” he said at a June 22 press conference. Scott was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing after District Attorney Lyndy Bennett said the killing was “justifiable homicide.”

According to the June 23 Farmington Times, “Scott attempted to place John in a control hold but failed…. John then swung at the officer and tried to take him to the ground.” The police claim that John grabbed Scott’s baton and the cop fired in “self defense.”

An eyewitness who used the name Rick, because he said he fears police reprisals, gave a different account in the June 22 Navajo Times. The article, “Eyewitness: Man was unarmed when shot,” quotes Rick saying that he “did not see John throw any punches, but instead was trying to protect himself from Scott’s blows.” He said John was hit at least eight times with the baton and then he saw the cop get a gun out of the police car and shoot John four times.

“I saw Clint’s body jerk three times and even though he was shot, he was just standing there,” Rick said. “The officer paused for a second, raised his gun and shot him in the head.” He said Scott was like a “madman, crazy with anger.”

John was still alive as more police arrived and the officers reportedly did nothing to help him. The eyewitness said he looked down at John and noticed the police baton on his stomach. “The thing that I stand on is, Clint didn’t have a weapon on him when he was shot and it looked like the baton was placed on his stomach by the officer.”

Speaking at a special session of the Navajo Nation Council on June 23, Della John, Clint John’s mother, said, “I ask for your help today. It’s tragic that my son had to lose his life for something to be done…. The only comfort is in doing something about [racial violence],” reported the Gallup Independent.

Navajos are 17 percent of Farmington’s population, yet they account for 69 percent of assault arrests and 62 percent of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol, said Shiprock Chapter president Duane “Chili” Yazzie, who attended the special session. “The violent victimization of Native Americans is twice the U.S. national rate.”  
 
 
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