Massachusetts cop who faked shoot-out launching massive manhunt found dead in his home

A former Massachusetts police officer who was fired after faking an attack on his police cruiser -- launching a massive manhunt -- has been found dead in his apartment, reports WCVB.

The body of Bryan Johnson, 24, was discovered in his home early Thursday morning after a roommate called investigators.

According to police, there were no signs of foul play and Johnson's death has been initially ruled a suicide.

The former police officer was recently indicted for filing the false reports and for calling in a fake bomb threat to a local school.

In September of this year, Johnson claimed that someone driving a red or maroon pickup truck fired upon him, causing him to crash into a tree, after which he said his police cruiser caught fire.

The alleged incident led to a manhunt by local SWAT team members, state police and federal officials, with officers going door-to-door, as schools in the community were closed after a bomb threat was called in -- which was also linked to Johnson.

Investigators later concluded that Johnson had made the story up, with a police spokesperson stating, “We have determined that the officer’s story was fabricated. Specifically, that he fired shots at his own cruiser as a plan to concoct a story that he was fired upon.”

Johnson was subsequently fired.

A Norfolk County grand jury recently issued six indictments against Johnson, including charges stemming from the false bomb threat at Millis High School.

A court date had yet to be set for the former officer.