Bay County Sheriff's Office, Florida
End of Watch: Sunday, July 11, 1999
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 504
Cause of Death: Motorcycle crash
Date of Incident: July 11, 1999
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Issued traffic citation
Deputy Sheriff Don Johnson was killed when his police motorcycle was struck head-on while he was escorting a funeral procession.
Deputy Johnson and the procession were heading westbound when three cars approached from the east. Deputy Johnson motioned for the cars to pull off of the roadway so that the procession could pass.
The first two cars began to pull off, but the third vehicle swerved into the middle of the road and struck Deputy Johnson head-on, causing him to flip into the windshield and over the top of the pickup truck. The impact was so severe that it knocked his helmet and gun belt off. The driver of the second car told officers that the pickup truck had been tailgating and attempting to pass her car for miles. The driver of the vehicle that struck Deputy Johnson was issued a traffic citation for an illegal lane change.
Deputy Johnson was transported to a local hospital where he died approximately two and a half hours later.
Deputy Johnson had served with the Bay County Sheriff's Office for eight years. Deputy Johnson is survived by his wife and two children, including a son who went on to become a uniformed officer with the Bay County Sheriff's Office.
A memorial in his honor sits on County Road 388 between Highway 77 and Highway 79.