Reserve Sergeant James Milton Johnson, 59, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was killed on November 11, 2004, after responding to a report of shots fired. He was shot and killed by an armed suspect in front of his home on Vance Road after the man, who had a long-standing dispute with neighbors over property boundaries, returned to the area armed with a rifle.

According to reports, the suspect had already murdered a couple in the neighborhood before confronting Johnson and his 10-year-old grandson. Johnson distracted the assailant, allowing the boy to escape and alert his grandmother, who called police. Johnson’s son-in-law, an off-duty full-time deputy, engaged the suspect; the suspect was taken into custody and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted capital murder.

Johnson had served seven years with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department and 28 years with the Kernersville Police Department. He is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, two brothers, two sisters, and five grandchildren. Does anyone have memories of Sergeant Johnson or information about the events on Vance Road that could help clarify the timeline that night?