Bibb County Deputy Dies After Being Shot During Pursuit

TUSCALOOSA, AL — District Attorney Michael Jackson confirms that Bibb County Sheriff's Deputy Brad Johnson was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound Thursday afternoon after being one of two deputies shot during a pursuit Wednesday afternoon.

He was 32 years old.

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Steven Johnson, the deputy's father, said on Facebook Thursday that his son had called him just a few hours before he was shot to ask him to help him find a good place for a beach trip.

"A son that loved playing the guitar, fishing, riding four wheelers, and so much more," he wrote. "This is not the way your day is suppose to end."

Johnson represents the 129th law enforcement officer to die while in the line of duty this year in the United States.

As Patch previously reported, the other deputy injured in the shooting has since been released from UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where both men were immediately transported.

What's more, a large-scale manhunt in the Brierfield community of Bibb County resulted in authorities apprehending 26-year-old Austin Patrick Hall, who is the suspect who led officers on a chase in a stolen vehicle on Golfer's Trail and allegedly fired the shots that killed Johnson and injured another deputy.

Hall reportedly exited the vehicle, fired at officers and then attempted to escape on foot, before he was eventually captured and arrested around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

Hall's initial appearance in court is scheduled for Friday morning.

“It is a solemn day among the entire law enforcement community within Alabama as we all
mourn the tragic and heartbreaking loss of Deputy Johnson," said Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor on Thursday. "On behalf of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, I would like to extend my deepest and sincerest condolences to Deputy Johnson’s family, his colleagues with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and everyone that knew and loved him. Truly, Bibb County and the State of Alabama has lost one of its heroes."

This is a developing story. Tuscaloosa Patch will have more information as it comes available