The law enforcement community is mourning the death of an Alabama sheriff who was gunned down in the line of duty Saturday night. Here's what we know about the sheriff, the circumstances surrounding his slaying and the apprehension of an 18-year-old suspect hours later.
Who was John Williams?
Sheriff John Williams is the fifth Alabama law enforcement officer to die from gunfire in the line of duty, and the sixth overall, in 2019, according to a statement from state Attorney General Steve Marshall.
A tall man, Williams was affectionately known around Lowndes County as “Big John.”
Credit: Mickey Welsh
Credit: Mickey Welsh
He served in local law enforcement for more than 40 years and was first elected sheriff in 2010, running as a Democrat. He was a Lowndes County native who had begun volunteering as a reserve deputy in 1978. He also worked for Hayneville police before joining the sheriff’s department full time in 1987 and being appointed chief deputy in 1990.
During his decades with the sheriff’s office, Williams notably in 2000 was the arresting officer of Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a 1960s black militant who was known as H. Rap Brown before converting to Islam. Al-Amin was wanted and later convicted in the deadly 2000 shooting of a Fulton County sheriff’s deputy in Atlanta.
“Sheriff Williams always wanted to make a difference in his community and felt there was no better way to help his community than to protect and serve them in law enforcement,” a biography read.
What happened
Williams was fatally shot Saturday night at a QV gas station in Hayneville, Alabama, about 20 miles southwest of Montgomery.
The sheriff was responding to a report of loud music at the store, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. Police say Williams approached a truck at the gas station and asked a man sitting inside to turn down the volume on his stereo.
Credit: Kirsten Fiscus
Credit: Kirsten Fiscus
An eyewitness described seeing the sheriff confront a man at one of the gas pumps about 8:15 p.m.
Moments later, a single shot rang out, and Williams was wounded in the head.
Suspect in custody
Authorities have arrested the son of a sheriff's deputy from a neighboring county in connection with the shooting. After a four-hour manhunt, police said, 18-year-old William Chase Johnson surrendered at the scene of the crime just after midnight.
Credit: Elmore County Ala. Sheriff's Office
Credit: Elmore County Ala. Sheriff's Office
Police say he had a handgun that was taken away from him. He was taken into custody without incident and is being held without bond in Elmore County Jail.
Few details were immediately available about the suspect.
“Details as to how he fled the scene and then reappeared at the scene, all that’s going to be investigated,” said Sgt. Steve Jarrett, commander of the Montgomery Alabama State Troopers' post, according to WSFA-TV.
Outpouring of grief
Law enforcement agencies in Alabama and beyond posted messages of condolences on social media Sunday.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey paid tribute to him online, writing that in the sheriff’s years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps and “his many years working in law enforcement, he dedicated his life to keeping other people safe.”
Dozens of people, including law enforcement officers in uniform who traveled from surrounding communities, turned out for a vigil Sunday.
“This is a sad time for Lowndes County and the state of Alabama," said Jarrett. He held a news conference on the scene about 11:20 p.m. Saturday. "Big John was a wonderful man. If you ever met him you would never forget him. We ask for your prayers for his family and for the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department."
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