Devan Wayne Johnson, a 28-year-old man from Oklahoma City, will serve 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and pay over $68,000 to his victim for his role in a Shawnee hate crime.
In the summer of 2019, Johnson and his accomplice Brandon Wayne Killian assaulted a man in the parking lot of the Brickhouse Saloon in Shawnee. An earlier indictment alleges the two men, who are both white, attacked a Black man because of his race, resulting in bodily harm. The pair also assaulted their victim's friend, who is white.
Both Johnson and Killian pleaded guilty last year to committing a hate crime. On July 25, Johnson was handed the statutory maximum sentence for his part in the attack. Killian will be sentenced on August 14, facing a similar sentence to Johnson’s.
In a press release, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Robert J. Troester wrote the sentence sends a strong message.
“Heinous, hate-fueled crimes such as this have no place in our state or country,” Troester wrote.
FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray wrote that the sentence highlights the FBI’s mission to ensure everyone feels safe in their own community.
“Hate crimes have a devastating impact on not only the victims and their families, but on entire communities as well,” Gray wrote. “There is absolutely no place for race-based violence in the state of Oklahoma.”
The Oklahoman reported this is the first time the Oklahoma City federal court is prosecuting a hate crime in more than a decade.