Johnny Karris, 47, was shot and killed during a May 1, 2023, police operation at his Cordova, Alabama, home. Officers from the Gardendale Police Department had gone to execute a narcotics search warrant; the encounter ended with an officer fatally shooting Karris in the presence of his mother, his wife, and his 9-year-old son. No officers were injured.

Accounts differ sharply about what happened when officers entered. The family says police forced entry without identifying themselves, waking Karris, who grabbed a legally owned handgun and fired toward the door as it burst open. The Gardendale Police Department says officers were immediately confronted with gunfire from an armed suspect when they entered. The family has stated the search did not turn up illegal drugs and has publicly called Karris’s death a murder.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency took over the investigation at the Gardendale department’s request, with findings to be submitted to the Walker County District Attorney. At the time of initial reports the investigation was ongoing, no arrests had been announced, and the involved officers had not been identified. Did anyone in the Cordova area see or hear anything that morning that could clarify what happened?