Social media leads police to suspect in double homicide

In this photo provided by Jimmy Sparks, Andre Johnson, 40, is seen standing next to a pickup on July 9 at the Eagle Cash Grocery in Eagletown, Okla., after he allegedly fatally shot his mother and uncle. In less than an hour after Parks submitted this image to officials, Oklahoma officers were in pursuit and Johnson was fatally shot.
In this photo provided by Jimmy Sparks, Andre Johnson, 40, is seen standing next to a pickup on July 9 at the Eagle Cash Grocery in Eagletown, Okla., after he allegedly fatally shot his mother and uncle. In less than an hour after Parks submitted this image to officials, Oklahoma officers were in pursuit and Johnson was fatally shot.

Word of mouth, social media and hunches helped law enforcement agencies track a man suspected of killing his mother and uncle July 9 in Horatio, Ark. 

De Queen firefighters discovered the bodies of Deborah Johnson, 66, of Horatio and 70-year-old L. Don Brown in a pasture after a fire was reported around 3 p.m. July 9. De Queen answered the call because the Horatio Fire Department was on another call.

The suspect, Andre Johnson, appeared to be "on medication" and in no hurry a few hours later when he stopped around 8 p.m. at the Eagle Cash Grocery in Eagletown, Okla.

He wanted .38-caliber shells and transmission fluid, according to store owner Odell Hendon.

"I couldn't let him buy ammunition. He looked messed up on medication or something. I thought 'I'm not selling no shells to him,'" Hendon said.

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Firemen from Lake Hamilton, South Fork Center in Montgomery County and North Little Rock fire departments work at the scene of a mock accident with a ski boat and a personal watercraft during the Arkansas Fire Boat School on DeGray Lake. One of the boats, at top, carries AGFC personnel who are evaluating the drill and the participants.

"I told him I was out of .38 shells. That was the best thing I could do with him in that shape. I just stood in front of the shelf where I had the .38 shells. He didn't seem like he was in a hurry." 

Johnson purchased three containers of transmission fluid at three different times. 

Jimmy Parks, 19, of Eagletown came to Eagle Cash Grocery after hearing about the double homicide. A report about the killings was published on social media.

Parks used his iPhone to photograph Johnson standing by the back of a Chevrolet pickup that fit the description of a truck mentioned in a "bolo" notice. The photo shows an Arkansas license plate.

Parks called Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Game Warden Mark Hannah.

Hannah read about the shooting on the De Queen Bee's Facebook page.

Hannah called the McCurtain County Sheriff's Department dispatcher asking for confirmation about the license plate. The dispatcher confirmed it through the National Crime Information Center computer.

Parks declined to comment about his assistance but gave the Gazette permission to publish his photo showing Johnson standing next to the truck's bed.

"I don't know what he had in mind when he left. I watched him leave. He didn't take off fast. He was calm. He drove away going toward Broken Bow," Hendon said.

Hannah said communication between individuals and agencies helped to locate the suspect.

"The social media worked. A lot of people curse the social media, but it can be a great tool and provide good information," Hannah said.

Officers communicated by radio, saying Johnson was traveling toward Broken Bow.

A Broken Bow police officer spotted Johnson about 9 p.m. and tried to pull him over. A chase followed, according to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Johnson drove down a dead-end street, turned around, got out of the vehicle and began shooting at an officer's car, officials said. Witnesses say he then ran to another police patrol car and shot at the windshield. "The suspect fired five times, and one unspent round was left in his .38-caliber revolver. It was an ordeal for four seconds," said Broken Bow Police Chief Richard Wiggins.

Four officers-two from Broken Bow Police Department, one from McCurtain County Sheriff's Office and one from Choctaw Nation Tribal Police Department-shot at Johnson, striking him multiple times, the release said.

Johnson was taken to the McCurtain Memorial Hospital in Idabel, where he was pronounced dead.

"The officers were quick thinking, and we're extremely lucky. That night the angels were by their sides," Wiggins said.

"I've never seen so many agencies come together to resolve this. Every agency responded," he said.

The officers have been placed on administrative leave.

"Our department will be short handed for awhile," Wiggins said.

OSBI agents are continuing the investigation into the officer-involved shooting and will forward the report to the District Attorney Mark Matloff to determine if the shooting was justified.

The Arkansas State Police continue to investigate the deaths of Johnson and Brown.

"We all worked together as a team. I'm proud of them," said Sevier County Chief Deputy Chad Dowdle.

Debra Johnson was a registered nurse with the CHRISTUS St. Michael's Labor and Delivery and De Queen General Hospital.

She was also a nurse with the Sevier County Developmental Center and was a member of the Horatio City Council.

Don Brown was a retired senior vice president of container operations and technologiy at Coors Brewing and senior vice president of manufacturing and engineering with Kraft Foods and an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.

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