Man accused of killing officer indicted on gun possession

An Alabama man accused of fatally shooting a police officer in an ambush has been indicted on firearm possession charges.

Preston Chyenne Johnson, 37, was indicted Thursday on three counts of illegal firearm possession, news outlets reported Monday.

Johnson is awaiting trial in the February slaying of Kimberly Police Officer Nick O'Rear. Johnson

O'Rear was assisting officers from another department with a pursuit on Feb. 4. The fleeing driver shot at O'Rear and he was pronounced dead at the hospital the next day.

Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock described the slaying as an ambush. O'Rear had been with the department about a year. He was the father of two children and had another on the way, Ellerbrock said.

“Everybody loved him,” Ellerbrock said. “He was a tremendous asset to our community.”

Johnson has been arrested multiple times on drug possession and other charges over the past decade, court records show. The U.S. attorney's office in Alabama

It's unclear whether Johnson had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.