Issaquah driver in DUI crash sentenced for vehiclar homicide

A 21-year-old Island man was killed after being rear-ended at “an extremely high rate of speed.”

The driver that killed a Mercer Island man after a collision in early September is going to jail, according to a press release from the Mercer Island Police Department.

At approximately 6:45 a.m. on Sept. 1, a vehicle driven by 20-year-old Brian M. Shields of Issaquah rear-ended Solomon Johnson’s vehicle at “an extremely high rate of speed,” at the intersection of West Mercer Way and Southeast 24th Street. Johnson, 21, died of his injuries at the scene.

Shields attempted to flee, but was taken into custody by Mercer Island officers and found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. Shields was booked into King County Jail on the charge of vehicular homicide.

The collision investigation was handed over to Washington State Patrol. Mercer Island detectives worked alongside state patrol, and the case was referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. On Nov. 30, Shields pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, and was sentenced to 136 months in prison on Dec. 15.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Johnson family, knowing that the conclusion of the case in no way can bring Solomon back, but hopefully this can add some closure to this horrific event,” according to the press release. “Mercer Island Police Department would like to thank the Washington State Patrol Detectives for their assistance in this case. This was truly a team effort.”