On April 19, 2023, 31-year-old Darius Tashon Johnson was fatally shot on New Street in Swainsboro, Georgia. Officers found Johnson lying in the roadway with severe injuries; he was airlifted to Augusta University Medical Center but died that evening. Johnson graduated from Swainsboro High School, where he played football and participated in JROTC, and he had hoped to become a special education teacher and a coach.

Investigators developed leads from witness statements and located an abandoned vehicle believed to have been used by the perpetrators. A K-9 tracked a scent from the vehicle through nearby woods and that led to the apprehension of 57-year-old John Gibbons. A second suspect, 38-year-old Dwight Dietangion Nixon, was arrested two days later. Both men were charged with felony murder; bond was denied at their first appearances.

If anyone knew Darius, saw activity on New Street that evening, or has information about the case, please share what is known.