BREAKING TONIGHT AT 10 -- WE'VE
LEARNED
THE TEEN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING
LOWNDES
COUNTY SHERIFF JOHN WILLIAMS --
IS THE SON
OF A MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPUTY.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO MONTGOMERY
COUNTY
SHERIFF DERRICK CUNNINGHAM
SHERIFF WILLIAMS WAS KILLED
WHILE RESPONDING TO A NOISE
COMPLAINT CALL
-- AT A GAS STATION.
A BLUE ALERT WAS SENT OUT FOR
THE 18
YEAR OLD SUSPECTED IN THE
KILLING.
AFTER A BRIEF MANHUNT .. WILLIAM
JOHNSON WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
AROUND MIDNIGHT.
JOHNSON REPORTEDLY RETURNED TO
THE GAS STATION AND TURNED
HIMSELF IN. AT THIS TIME ---
CHARGES HAVE NOT
BEEN ANNOUNCED.
" The Lowndes County Sheriff
'Big John' Williams
was involved in an incident here
at the QV gas station
in Hayneville, Alabama, which is
in Lowndes
County...and unfortunately the
sheriff was shot fatally."
SPLICE
Sgt. Steve Jarrett: "If any of
you know 'Big John" Williams' he
was a wonderful man. Everybody
in law enforcement knew him. If
you ever met him
you never forget him."
TODAY, PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE
ARE
REMEMBERING SHERIFF WILLIAMS AND
HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT HE HAD ON
THEIR LIVES...
NEWS 5'S BRIANNA HOLLIS IS
LIVE....
SHE HAS MORE ABOUT SHERIFF
WILLIAMS'
LEGACY -- FROM CLARKE COUNTY
SHERIFF -- RAY NORRIS.
HAT'S RIGHT.. AND HE SAYS
EVERYONE CALLED WILLIAMS "BIG
JOHN" -- AND SAYS HE
WAS ENDEARING, HARD-WORKING AND
VERY WELL KNOWN.
SHERIFF NORRIS ALSO CALLS
YESTERDAY'S
SHOOTING A TRAGEDY -- FOR BOTH
SIDES.
"We've got two families totally
destroyed."
CLARKE COUNTY SHERIFF RAY NORRIS
SAYS HIS HEART IS HEAVY
NOT ONLY FOR HIMSELF.. BUT THE
FAMILIES OF SHERIFF "BIG JOHN"
WILLIAMS -- AS WELL AS THE
FAMILY OF THE 18- YEAR-OLD
CHARGED WITH SHOOTING HIM:
WILLIAM CHASE JOHNSON.
"Big John's fam will never get
to see him again. And this
young man that did this awful
tragic thing he's got a family
that's also - his daddy is in
law enforcement." MONTGOMERY
COUNTY SHERIFF
DERRICK CUNNINGHAM
CONFIRMED WITH NEWS 5 -- THE
SUSPECT'S FATHER IS ONE OF HIS
DEPUTIES.
THE FALLEN SHERIFF WILLIAMS
IS DESCRIBED AS A HANDS-ON
LEADER. WHICH WAS WHY HE
PERSONALLY RESPONDED TO THE
NOISE
COMPLAINT LAST NIGHT, ACCORDING
TO SHERIFF NORRIS. He was at his
house. Had started eating
supper and one of his merchants
called him
personally and asked him to
respond to loud
music and a crowd control
complaint.
AND THAT'S WHEN INVESTIGATORS
SAY HE WAS SHOT.
NORRIS SAYS THIS ISN'T JUST A
LOSS TO LOWDES COUNTY. "When we
had disagreements, Big John was
the cheerleader that
would gets us all back on the
same page."
AND TO HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS
-- ON THE FORCE AND IN THE
COMMUNITY.. THE NAME "BIG JOHN"
HOLDS A LOT OF WEIGHT. "Because
his statute. He was a big man.
The other one because of his
heart.
It's huge."
TO SEE STATEMENTS AND
CONDOLENCES FROM OTHER LOCAL
DEPARTMENTS..
INCLUDING MOBILE AND BALDWIN
COUNTIES -- YOU CAN VISIT OUR
WEBSITE WKRG.COM.
REPORTING , BRIANNA HOLLIS,
WKRG NEWS 5
THANKS BRI....
