The Bainbridge Island police officer who was suspended from the force for shooting a man in downtown Winslow at the end of a police pursuit last month has returned to the force.

Bainbridge Police Chief Matthew Hamner said the investigation into the Feb. 7 shooting continues, but the officer who shot the fleeing man — who was later jailed for a string of felony charges that included assaulting a police officer — is back on duty.

Officer Dale Johnson was placed on administrative leave following the shooting.

The shooting happened on Winslow Way, the city’s main drag, on a Wednesday afternoon that saw downtown sidewalks crammed with shoppers and tourists.

Brandon Thomas Roberts, 42, of Port Orchard was shot twice after police boxed in his Ford Mustang after he earlier fled from officers at the scene of an emergency call at Ordway Elementary.

According to court records, Roberts locked himself inside his Mustang after police blocked his car from moving, and refused to come out. Roberts allegedly shouted obscenities at police and yelled “Lemme do this!” as police tried to get him to surrender.

Police said it appeared Roberts was shooting up with methamphetamine during the standoff as police tried to get into his car.

A sheriff’s deputy was able to open the passenger side door of the Mustang with a “slim jim,” but Roberts allegedly reached into the center console of the car and pulled out an 11-inch folding knife and started waving it at the sheriff’s deputy. Police repeatedly ordered Roberts to drop the knife, according to court documents, but he taunted officers with the weapon and continued to wave it around.

When one officer holstered his gun and pulled out a Taser, police said Roberts put the knife down and it looked like he was going to get out of the Mustang. But he then said, “[Expletive] let’s do this” and grabbed the knife again.

Johnson, who was identified in court documents as “John Doe,” fired his weapon at Roberts when he allegedly lunged at the officer with the knife.

Roberts was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and was jailed after his release from the hospital.

Roberts was charged with first-degree assault with a deadly weapon; authorities claim he hit a Bainbridge officer with his car while trying to get away from police at Ordway Elementary who had responded to an emergency call about a drug overdose.

The overdose victim, who was a passenger in Roberts’ Ford Mustang, was revived by police.

Roberts also faces charges of second-degree felony theft. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Johnson is one of two members of the Bainbridge department who serves on the regional SWAT team. He has also served as the department’s canine officer.

Johnson was also involved in the police shooting last year on Eagle Harbor, where a man armed with a rifle began shooting from a sailboat randomly at the shore. The shooter was killed by police after officers tried to get him to put down his weapon and step off his sailboat, but the man allegedly raised his rifle at the SWAT team in the nearing boat.

A 45-year resident of Bainbridge, Johnson was born and raised on the island, and graduated from Bainbridge High School in 1978. He started as a reserve officer for the Winslow Police Department and stayed on after the city incorporated more than 25 years ago.

Johnson has been a valuable member of the Bainbridge department, the chief said.

“I have found him to be very kind and compassionate. He was one of the ones that I looked to, to change the culture of our department when I arrived,” Hamner said.

An outside investigation of the shooting continues; the review is being headed by the Bremerton Police Department.

Hamner said he could not comment on the details of the shooting while the investigation continues, but the probe is expected to determine if the shooting was justified.

“Obviously, it is not complete,” Hamner said. “It would be irresponsible of me to say it was a justified shooting or not.”

Still, Hamner said the man who led police on the chase across the island was a danger to himself and others.

“This individual put many people’s lives at great risk very quickly. First of all, he struck an officer with his car, so we can see the disregard he had for police.

“He never even hesitated as he raced through the streets of Bainbridge,” Hamner said, and he recalled that a resident had told him she and her 4-year-old had used a crosswalk near the school just moments before the man sped away from police at Ordway.

“If he had struck anybody, I think death would have been very, very likely with the high rate of speed of his car,” Hamner said.

Police ended the pursuit when the man sped toward downtown Winslow.

“But it didn’t slow this guy down,” Hamner said. “Those crosswalks were full of people; this was the middle of the day.”