John Williams

Sheriff John Williams was shot and killed around 8:00 pm while responding to a trespassing and noise complaint call at a gas station convenience store at the intersection of Highways 21 and 97 in Hayneville.

He had responded to the store after the owner called to report a large gathering of people in the parking lot who refused to leave. Sheriff Williams arrived at the scene and was speaking with an occupant of a truck about its loud music when the male shot him.

The male, the son of a neighboring Montgomery County sheriff's deputy, fled the scene but later returned and turned himself in. The truck was later determined to have been stolen.

The suspect, 19, charged with capital murder, has a trial date on October 4, 2023.

Sheriff Williams was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served in law enforcement for more than 40 years.

He is survived by his wife and children.