A couple months ago, we relayed the story to you about a highly recruited football player from George County, Mississippi.
As you may recall, Billey Joe Johnson died from a gunshot wound to the head, back on Decemer 8,2008 during what was originally reported as a routine traffic stop for running a red light. George County Sheriff’s deputy Joe Sullivan reported that while he was checking Billey’s license, he heard a gunshot, and turned to find Johnson’s body on the ground with a gun (most likely a shotgun) on top of the Johnson. Sullivan is the only known witness at this time, and his patrol car did not have a camera to record the top.
The police department was calling the incident a suicide. A claim which the family has refused to believe. The NAACP ran their own investigation and ruled out the claim as well.
The DA’s office along with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations has been running their own investigations into the case to see if there will be an indictment towards the deputy at the scene and the Sheriff’s office. A grand jury is expected today to make a decision.
As stated, Johnson was a popular and highly recruited football player, with schools such as Notre Dame, LSU and Alabama following his high school career. Which makes it difficult to believe that suicide was actually what happened that night in December.
Racial tensions have always been high in certain parts of Mississippi, which is why so many questions surround this case.
****UPDATED**** No Evidence of a Crime. (Sun Herald)
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I’m watching this case cvery closely. GatorTrey(Quote)
graddawg- if you are around, what do you think about this area? sparty(Quote)
/threadjackI know my ACC. From TWTWCBB…
“[Wake goes] to NC State this week (always a dangerous place to play)…”
… and from the Duke/UNC post yesterday…
“One of the most storied rivalries in all of sports puts another chapter in the book tonight. In this chapter, the athletes of UNC run over the non-athletic guys of Duke. Duke tries to come back using their three point shooting but can’t find the net. UNC takes it on the road, 102-84.”
The final was actually 101-87 but I’d say close enough. UNC ran the break for 57 second half points while Duke shot 2/15 from the arc in the second half.
/I’m awesome
//threadjack guyinthecorner(Quote)
new post GatorTrey(Quote)
In the south, finding a shotgun on top of the Johnson is its customary position, no?
/miz is a redneck’d Big D(Quote)
I bet if Petersen took the job at Miss. St. all racial tensions would be resolved…he’s just that good. rekcalsa(Quote)
sparty – George County is on the Mississippi Coast and, as a result of the economic development over the last two decades there, is probably the most progressive area of the state. Are there racial issues in the area? Sure there are but it’s no worse than any other part of the country in that regard. graddawg(Quote)
inappropiate threadjack. and to brag about your supposed ACC prowess? Stay classy. patphish(Quote)
patphish–The best thing is…he posted it in every post today so far. rekcalsa(Quote)
i keep checking google news wire to see if there is an update. this should be very interesting. sparty(Quote)
This is a sad story. Since there was no evidence of a crime, the shotgun must have been Billeys. Why the hell are you driving around with a shotgun?!?! Why do athletes feel the need to possess firearms? Fiesta Trio(Quote)
oh, I am sure the shotgun is his, but I am not convinced that he shot himself. sparty(Quote)
Well if a guy wearing a gun and badge and sworn to uphold the law shot him, that is not only murder but an action that threatens our society of laws. I can’t believe a guy, especially a young guy with so much to look forward to, will get pulled over, say I can’t take another moving violation and kill himself.
Then again, it is tough to know why a cop would shoot him assuming he did. Lots of cops walk around with a chip on their shoulder. Anything other than a “yes sir” or “no sir” answer from a young black man is seen as an insult. Scary. cycledan(Quote)
Grand Jury says accidental death.
Link to Story graddawg(Quote)
Fiesta – to answer your question about why he felt the need to carry a shotgun, that’s a common thing in Mississippi, and around the South for that matter. A lot of high school aged kids get up before sunrise on school days, head to the deer stand for a few hours, got to school and go back out until dark. Billey Joe was one of these guys as he was an avid hunter.
I’ve always said if the authorities did a vehicle check on any high school campus in Mississippi during deer season they could arrest 30% of the male student population. graddawg(Quote)
i totally missed the update before posting the link. sorry about that sparty. graddawg(Quote)
Sad story. When I first heard this I was like “how the hell can you shoot yourself in the back of the head with a shotgun.” Keep us updated. rickster(Quote)
Well, this story is a little more than sad; It’s more like horrific; any human with brains can clearly surmise that this young promising black kid was murdered; and these white racists cops in the state of Mississippi are getting away with cold-blooded murder. Let’s stop pretending like we don’t know what really happened to Billey joe johnson; This horrific murder reminds the black race of the killing of Emmitt Till. The question i would ask any father is: what would you do if your son was shot in the head with a 12 gauge shotgun by the police because of the color of his skin? I know what I would do; and I wouldn’t wait for the racists legal system of the state of Mississippi. We’re talking about your son; a person that you saw take his first step; you changed his diapers a thousand times; you heard him say dadda, mama; etc. That’s what we’re talking about here. How could those white racists cops sleep at night knowing that they blew that black young man’s head-off? leon sanders(Quote)