Incident
Deputy Johnson was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant on a suspect wanted in Mississippi for kidnapping. Deputy Johnson and the county sheriff went to a residence where the suspect was reported to be. When they arrived they were told the suspect was not there, but Deputy Johnson began to search the residence. As he opened a door he was shot by the suspect. The suspect fled the scene and remained at large for six years. He was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for an unrelated assault and sentenced to 3.5 years on a chain gang. While on the chain gang he was identified as the murderer or Deputy Johnson through his fingerprints. He was returned to Pickens County where he was convicted of Deputy Johnson's murder and sentenced to death. He was executed on August 7, 1936.
Survivors
Deputy Johnson was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-AL-BDD648D3- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Johnson served with the Pickens County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Carrollton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Johnson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Bert C. Johnson is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In AL, 405 of 643 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63% of this state's fallen. That is 8.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Bert C. Johnson's cause is highlighted.
How Bert C. Johnson Compares
Offender Outcome
Executed in 1936
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Bert C. Johnson is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Bert C. Johnson was killed by gun; unknown type.