MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                                                                 

October 12, 2014

Man Shot to Death in Fyffe

                Sheriff Jimmy Harris reports the arrest of one individual for murder and a second for hindering prosecution after they were taken into custody following a shooting Saturday night in Fyffe. Michael Arnold Johnson, 36 of Fyffe was shot multiple times at his residence on County Road 578 shortly after 4:00 pm. The shooter fled the scene and a BOLO was issued in an attempt to find and apprehend the suspects in the murder. James Edward Wooten, 36 of Powell was taken into custody just before midnight by Investigators near Powell. The alleged shooter was identified and located near Antioch close to the Jackson-DeKalb line on County Road 538. The shooter was still in possession of an assault rifle used in the murder and had made treats he would not go to jail without a fight. The Special Response Tam secured the perimeter around the suspect house and monitored his movements until dawn. Several residents were safely evacuated from their homes as a safety measure during the night and they were able to return around 10:00am. Negotiators made contact with Ben Christopher McClure, 20 inside the residence shortly after dawn. Over the course of the next 2 hours, officers were able to get 4 family members out of the house and finally convinced McClure to come out un-armed. A search warrant turned up what appeared to be the murder weapon. It was loaded with a 30 round magazine and was located near McClure’s sleeping area. Evidence was recovered from the residence as well as the vehicle used in the homicide. McClure has been charged with murder and is being held in the DeKalb County Detention Center awaiting bond. Wooten is currently charged with hindering prosecution and the case continues at this time. Johnson’s body was taken to Alabama Department of Forensic Science in Huntsville for autopsy.

            Harris states “this was one of the most violent murders I’ve seen in over 25 years. It was hard to see the family as we told them their loved one was gone. The suspects fled the scene and we had people in 3 counties helping us look for them. Having an AK-47 style rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammo loose in the hands of this shooter made every officer more safety conscious when making these arrests. Both suspects were taken with little resistance because we had properly trained teams working this case. Our SRT did an outstanding job. I watched them all night as they managed to get within yards of the suspect and eventually talk him out. It was the ending we all hoped for and worked great. I’m sorry we had to move some neighbors but we could not take any chances due to the rifle and ammo the suspect had in his possession. I want to thank Jackson County Sheriff Chuck Phillips for all his help last night and the resources he provided during the manhunt. We were lucky to have DeKalb Ambulance Service provide an ambulance during the stand-off. We had help from Fyffe, Rainsville Powell, Geraldine, Sylvania, and Section Police Departments also. I love the way we are all able to work together, especially during very dangerous events like this. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this victim and I look forward to seeing them get a measure of justice when this case is prosecuted by District Attorney Mike O’Dell and his staff. This has been a long and deadly week.”