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Tiger King Reptile Dealer Jeff Johnson Died by Suicide in Front of Wife


Reptile dealer Jeff Johnson, who was one of the several people interviewed in the first season of Netflix's Tiger King, committed suicide in front of his wife, police reported.

Jeff Johnson Tiger King
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Credit: Netflix
Jeff Johnson Tiger King

Johnson, 57, who appeared in the fourth episode of 2020's Tiger King died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Oklahoma City Police said in an incident report. Police reported that they were dispatched to the Johnson's family home shortly after 10 p.m. on September 8 for a reported attempted suicide.

Charity, Johnson's wife, told police her husband shot himself in front of her with a Glock 45 while they were arguing in their garage. According to the report, their 4- and 5-year-old children were inside their home at the time of the shooting.

Related: Joe Exotic Health: Tiger King Star Not Afraid To Die Amid Battle Against 'Aggressive Cancer'

Johnson, who still had a pulse on the scene, was taken to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, but was later pronounced dead, the report said. An attorney for Joseph Maldonado, the show's main star known as Joe Exotic, said that he had spoken to Johnson's widow about the incident, and it was reported that Johnson had "no mental health history".

Johnson is not the first cast member of Tiger King to die since the Netflix docuseries premiered. Last September, 53-year-old zookeeper Erik Crowie was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment. Fox News reported that the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Cowie died of "acute and chronic alcohol use."

Johnson was Joe Exotic's former friend until a failing out transpired when Jeff Lowe arrived onto the scene, TMZ noted. Amidst the conflict between Johnson and the two men, Johnson's house allegedly burned down.

Tiger King 2, which recently debuted on Netflix, is now streaming. You can read more details about the show here.

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