LOWNDES COUNTY, AL. (THECOUNT) — Lowndes Sheriff John Williams has been shot and killed, according to Saturday night reports.

Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham confirmed Williams’ death. The incident occurred about 8:15 p.m. Saturday.

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Cpl. Jess Thornton confirms that agents from the State Bureau of Investigations are on the way to Lowndes County but did not release the nature of the deployment.

Several law enforcement sources confirmed that Williams was answering a call at a convenience store in Hayneville when he was shot, reports MontgomeryAdvertiser.

Williams was born and raised in Lowndes County and graduated from Calhoun High School in 1976.

He “always wanted to make a difference in his community and felt there was no better way to help his community than to protect and serve them in law enforcement,” according to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office website. In 1978, he started volunteering as a reserve deputy, and for three years in the 1980s he was in the Haynesville Police Department until full-time work with the sheriff’s office. In 1990, he was appointed to chief deputy and served in this capacity until leaving the department in 2009. In 2010, he ran for sheriff and winning the position and has held onto the role since, reports MontgomeryAdvertiser.

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