Kimberly AL police officer shot and killed-suspect in custody
Kimberly AL Feb 6 2020
A Kimberly police officer was shot Tuesday night during a pursuit on Interstate 65 South, according to authorities.
Four people were later taken into custody in connection to the shooting.
One of those four, Preston Johnson, 37, was booked into the Jefferson County jail on a charge of capital murder of a police officer at 5:39 Wednesday morning, according to the jail booking log. Johnson is being held without bond, the jail log states.
However, as of shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday, there had been no official update on the officer’s condition.
The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday when Warrior police attempted to stop a vehicle. When the vehicle would not stop, Kimberly police joined the chase.
Shots were fired and the Kimberly officer was struck. The officer was rushed to UAB Hospital with a large police escort.
The officer was said to be in critical condition. A Warrior resident who lives near the shooting scene said she heard 10 to 12 shots in rapid succession.
Warrior police Lt. Corey Archer said a suspect and three other individuals were taken into custody on U.S. 78 near Dora. Jefferson County deputies, Adamsville and Sumiton police were among those at the arrest site. The four people detained by police were also still at the scene around 1:30 Wednesday morning.
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
Shortly after 1 a.m., before the four were detained on U.S. 78, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation issued a blue alert in connection to the shooting. The alert was later cancelled when officials said the suspect, 37-year-old Preston Chyenne Johnson, was in custody.
