Alabama Sheriff Shot, Killed While Responding To Call

An Alabama sheriff was shot and killed Saturday, authorities told CBS affiliate WKRG. Lowndes County Sheriff "Big John" Williams was responding to a call at a convenience store and gas station when he was fatally shot.

Details on the shooting weren't immediately clear, but Williams was apparently killed around 8 p.m. local time at a QV gas station in Hayneville, Alabama. 

William Chase Johnson, the 18-year-old suspected shooter was taken into custody shortly after midnight. Johnson initially fled the scene but returned to the convenience store to turn himself in several hours later. 

"There was a handgun that appeared to be taken away from the suspect when he was taken into custody," Sergeant Steve Jarrett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told CBS affiliate WAKA. 

"I'm saddened to hear about Sheriff Big John Williams, who was tragically killed this evening in the line of duty," Governor Kay Ivey tweeted Saturday night. "Through his service to our country in the United States Marine Corps and his many years working in law enforcement, he dedicated his life to keeping other people safe. He will be remembered as a consummate professional and pillar of his community. I offer my prayers and deepest sympathies to his family and to the men and women of the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department."

First published on November 23, 2019 / 11:42 PM

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