Police: Suicide at traffic stop

[Hortical]

Billey Joe Johnson, Top High School Football Recruit, Dies in Possible Traffic Stop Suicide

Posted Dec 8th 2008 6:00PM by
Billey Joe Johnson was considered one of the top high school football recruits in Mississippi, as well as the country, until his shocking death early Monday morning.

Johnson, hailing from Jackson, Miss., rushed for more than 1,500 yards his last season, totaling over 4,000 for his career, and received scholarship offers from a number of major schools including Alabama, LSU and Mississippi as a top-rated recruit by both Scout and Rivals.

Johnson died of a (possibly self-inflicted) gun wound early Monday after being pulled by a sheriff's deputy.

It's not clear why 17-year-old Billey Joe Johnson was stopped in Lucedale, but authorities say the junior tailback shot himself with a shotgun after the deputy walked back to the patrol car to run a license check.

"The deputy was sitting in his patrol vehicle ... when he heard a gunshot and saw the victim laying on the ground by the driver's side door of the vehicle that Johnson was driving. A shotgun was lying on the victim," according to a statement from the George County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities would not immediately say whether they believed the shooting was a suicide or an accident.

The last portion of that quote is particularly perplexing, because it is hard to believe that Johnson would have attempted to pull a shotgun on police officers ...although equally confounding is the notion that Johnson would kill himself at what, according to all current reports, appears to be a basic traffic stop.

Nothing is ever certain, but this story appears to be so odd, at least in the manner of death, that it would be even more shocking if further details didn't at least emerge as to why the young man apparently panicked and pulled a gun that resulted in the tragic and early end to his life.

[Hortical]

NAACP: Death wasn't suicide

NAACP: Death wasn't suicide

Monday, December 15, 2008 By AMBER CRAIG

The NAACP has determined through an independent investigation that George County High School football star Billey Joe John son Jr. did not commit suicide last week during a traffic stop in Lucedale, the vice president of the organization's Mississippi chapter said Sunday.
Curley Clark said the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People plans to have a second, independent autopsy performed on Johnson's body, with results expected to be announced later this week.
"The NAACP, along with the family, have determined that Billey Joe Johnson did not commit suicide," Clark said.

The NAACP's conclusion does not rule out the possibility that Johnson accidentally shot himself, Clark said.
"At this point, nothing is concrete until the results of the autopsies have been made known," Clark said.
The organization based its findings on interviews with people who knew Johnson and on physical evidence, Clark said, although Clark declined to detail the physical evidence, citing legal concerns. Clark said nothing supports the notion that the junior running back was in the state of mind to kill himself.
The NAACP met with the family and other community members Saturday, Clark said.

He said the family is scheduled to meet with District Attorney Tony Lawrence today at his office in Pascagoula.
Because a George County deputy was at the scene when Johnson was shot, Sheriff Garry Welford turned the investigation over to Lawrence, who said Friday in his only comment about the investigation that he would not comment again until after meeting with the family. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is assisting in the investigation.
Questions and rumors have been circulating since the 17-year-old's death from a single gunshot blast Dec. 8 just moments after a George County sheriff's deputy stopped him about 6:30 a.m. on Mississippi 26 for a traffic violation.

Welford said last week that the deputy, whose identity has not been made public, told him that while he went to his patrol vehicle to do a license check, he heard a gunshot and found the teenager dead outside of his truck. A shotgun was on the body.
The Associated Press quoted Welford last week as saying he was not sure if Johnson's death was the result of suicide or simply an accident.
Johnson's coach, Al Jones, said he was told that the teenager had shot himself.
Johnson, who lived in the rural area of Benndale, was considered a gifted running back and rushed for more than 4,000 yards in his three years on the varsity team.

According to Scout, a national football recruiting news source, Johnson already had scholarship offers from major universities including Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State and Oregon.
Visitation with the Johnsons will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Cowan Funeral Home Chapel in Lucedale on Glen Oak Drive near McDonald's Restaurant. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 20 at the George County Middle School Gym in Lucedale on Church Street

[Bricktop]

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[Hortical]

Mi nuh know a who dat. Him mussi work fi JFJ.