William Chase Johnson Biography

William Chase Johnson is an 18-year-old who is suspected of shooting and killing Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams on Saturday evening QV gas station in Lowndes County. ALEA issued a blue alert on William before he was arrested four hours later at the same QV gas station where he shot the Sheriff.

William Chase Johnson Shot and Killed Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams

On Saturday evening, November 23, 2019, Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams was fatally shot at the QV gas station, located in the Lowndes County seat of Hayneville, around 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Montgomery.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a Blue Alert which said they were seeking an 18-year-old white man, identified as William Chase Johnson, last seen at a QV gas station at 8:15 p.m. According to the Alert he was considered a “serious risk” who may have been traveling on foot.

“The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency ask for your assistance in locating William Chase Johnson, white male with brown hair, 18 years-old, 5’9”, 137lbs. William Johnson may be traveling on foot and is believed to be a serious risk to the public. Johnson was last seen at the QV gas station in Lowndes County, Alabama around 8:15PM on November 23, 2019. If you have any information regarding William Johnson, please contact the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at (334)548-2222 or call 911.”

Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted that Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams had been “tragically killed” in the line of duty and that she offered her prayers and sympathy to his family and the county sheriff’s department.

I’m saddened to hear about Sheriff Big John Williams, who was tragically killed this evening in the line of duty. Through his service to our country in the @USMC and his many years working in law enforcement, he dedicated his life to keeping other people safe. (1/2) #alpolitics

— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) November 24, 2019

Sheriff John Williams who was known as “Big John” was in law enforcement for 4o years and had been with Lowndes County for 20 years. He was first elected in 2010 using a Democrat ticket. He was a Lowndes County native who started 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 decadeslong career 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 fatal 2000 shooting of a Fulton County sheriff’s deputy in Atlanta.

William Chase Johnson Arrest

William was arrested at QV gas station, the same gas station where he shot the Sheriff, in Hayneville Saturday night, four hours after nearly four-hour manhunt.

According to Sgt.Steve Jarrett with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Johnson fled the gas station after the shooting at around 8 p.m. and then reappeared at the gas station around midnight. According to Jarrett, he had a handgun that they took from him when he was taken into custody.