Shocking moment an unarmed black man with special needs walking between traffic is shot by a plain clothed officer in an unmarked police car 'because he feared he was about to be robbed' Joel Johnson, 28, was walking between several cars on Monday night at approximately 8.50pm in Philadelphia Video shows Johnson walk up to the detective's vehicle and in the next moment, several shots are fired and the man falls to the ground He was taken to a hospital and is said to be in critical condition Police explain that the officer believed that Johnson was a carjacker and also armed with a gun No weapon was found at the scene The man's niece said that he is mentally disabled and known to beg for change, the latter fact the police commissioner corroborated By Dailymail.com Reporter Published: 05:20 BST, 23 May 2019 | Updated: 05:21 BST, 23 May 2019 Viewcomments Shocking footage shows the moment that a man said to be mentally disabled was shot by a plainclothes officer in Philadelphia. Joel Johnson, 28, was walking between several cars on Monday night at approximately 8.50pm when the shooting occurred. Video shows Johnson walk up to the detective's vehicle and in the next moment, several shots are fired and the man falls to the ground. Scroll down for video Shocking video shows the moment 28-year-old Joel Johnson was shot while walking the streets of Philadelphia on Monday night Johnson was rushed to a hospital in critical condition as is expected to survive. His niece described the man as having special needs and often begging for change. But she also asserted that Johnson was holding a weapon, ABC 13 reports. Police explain that the officer believed that Johnson was a carjacker and also armed with a gun. He decided to shoot the man from inside his vehicle, in response. His version of events differs from the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, who says that there was no weapon at the scene. Johnson was taken to a hospital and is said to be in critical condition Police explain that the officer believed that Johnson was a carjacker and also armed with a gun and the man was shot in response 'It's not automatically an issue of whether there's a weapon or not. I know for some people they think that's the way it should be - obviously, it's the first thing we look for,' he said. 'But I'm always going to be very candid with you when I know there's not one. So I'm not going to sit here and tell you that we haven't found one, we don't expect to find one.' He added that Johnson was known as a panhandler in the area. 'Why does he deserve this? He stays to himself. He begs for money and just goes home,' the man's niece asked. The man's niece said that he is mentally disabled and known to beg for change, the latter fact the police commissioner corroborated Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility