 Agencies
BENGALURU, June 20: Former India pacer David Johnson died on Thursday after falling from the balcony of his fourth-floor apartment here and an investigation is in progress to figure out if it was a case of suicide, the police has said. Johnson, who played two Tests for India, was 52 and is survived by his wife and two children.
"It is believed that 52-year-old David Jude Johnson fell from his apartment in Kanaka Sri Layout in Kothanur. A UDR (unnatural death report) has been filed at the Kothanur police station," a statement from the state police read.
"The body is taken for postmortem to the Ambedkar Medical College Hospital at Shampura main road," it added.
Johnson, who was admitted to the St Philomena's Hospital last week after complaining of acute stomach pain, was battling health issues for a while now.
"None of his family members have raised any suspicion. It was a 'self-fall' and there is no eyewitness to the incident. Neither, there was a suicide note," the police said, adding a probe was nonetheless being conducted. A senior police official later also informed that Johnson had been visiting a de-addiction centre in the city.
Earlier, a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official said Johnson was brought dead to a nearby hospital by the members of his family and friends.
"We were informed that he had fallen from the fourth floor of his apartment building. He was taken to a hospital but the doctors declared him brought dead," the KSCA official told PTI.
Johnson, who was known for his pace from a slightly slingy action, took 125 First-Class wickets and 41 List A scalps from 33 matches.
His finest effort in the domestic circuit was a 10 for 152 against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy, and it brought him into national reckoning.
In his prime, Johnson, who played two Tests and 39 First-Class matches, was the member of a formidable Karnataka bowling unit that also featured Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda Ganesh.
"It is shocking news as we had played together from our tennis cricket days for a club called Jai Karnataka," Ganesh, also a former India pacer and Johnson's long-time friend, told PTI.
He fondly recalled their time together on the field.
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