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Money Needed to Send Slain Ala. Deputy’s Daughters to D.C. Memorial

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March 17, 2023 Community leaders want to send the daughters of fallen Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Johnson to see their father’s name added to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial.

By Carol Robinson Source al.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Bibb County, AL, Sheriff's Deputy Brad Johnson was killed in the line of duty June 2022, leaving behind two daughters, Lana and Livy.
Bibb County, AL, Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Johnson was killed in the line of duty June 2022, leaving behind two daughters, Lana and Livy.

A GoFundMe has been launched to help send the young daughters of a slain Alabama deputy to Washington, D.C. to see their dad’s name added to a national memorial.

The Fraternal Order of Police Cahaba Lodge #44 and Bibb County community leaders announced on Thursday that they have set up the crowdsourcing campaign for the daughters of Bibb County Deputy Brad Johnson – Livy and Lana – to be present when their father’s name is added to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial during the week of May 15.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Brad’s young daughters to see their father’s courage and sacrifice honored and permanently memorialized in our nation’s capital,” said Bibb County Administrator Brian Davis.

Davis is overseeing the use of the funds that are raised.

“The girls have suffered a loss that no child their age should have to experience, but as they grow, mature, and begin to understand more fully the heroism that Brad displayed, the experience of having been present when his name was added to the national memorial will give them some measure of comfort and closure,” Davis said.

Johnson, 32, was shot to death in June during a police chase in Bibb County. Another deputy, Christopher Poole, was injured but survived.

The deputies were chasing Austin Patrick Hall, now 27. Hall, a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history, was in a stolen vehicle when the suspect got out and fired shots, striking both deputies, authorities say.

Both deputies were rushed to UAB Hospital via a massive police escort along Interstate 65, traveling through Hoover and Homewood and Birmingham.

Poole was released later that Wednesday night. Johnson died at the hospital the following day.

Hall, who has been arrested on at least 46 charges since he was 17, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of attempted murder.

A judge last month ruled there was enough evidence against him to send the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

The GoFundMe has set a goal of $12,000. Any money raised will also cover expenses for Poole to attend the D.C. ceremony.

“We believe it is important to honor Deputy Brad Johnson’s sacrifice and to support his family during this difficult time,’’ Davis said on the campaign site. “Your donation will help ensure that Deputy Brad Johnson’s sacrifice is properly recognized and that his family is supported. Together, we can honor the sacrifice of Deputy Brad Johnson and support his family.”

Donations can be made here.

The “Deputy Brad Johnson Act,” a measure named in his honor that would reform the way “good time” credits are earned by prison inmates, has been introduced in the Alabama Legislature’s 2023 regular session.

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