Former Shelby County Sheriff Monica Johnson-Markwork, 51, shot a door to door salesman on Wednesday. She mistakenly thought it was a gang hitman that was there to kill her.
She had been in contact with her imprisoned son who is serving a 20 year sentence for the rape of a child and thought this supposed “hit man” was targeting the two of them.
Johnson-Markwork saw a man approach on her security camera and fired a shot thinking he had a gun. It turned out he was a pest control salesman and was carrying an Ipad. He was hit in the chest and was transported to the hospital in critical condition, but was stable.
A former Tennessee sheriff is claiming she shot a door-to-door salesman because she thought he was a gang-ordered hitman.
Monica Johnson-Markwork, 51, of Cordova, told police that she had been in contact with her incarcerated son — who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping a child — and believed that a local gang put a hit out on the two of them, ABC Memphis reported.
Johnson was at home with her father in the Memphis suburb just before noon on Wednesday, when she saw on security cameras a man approaching her front door, according to an affidavit.
She thought he was holding a gun and told detectives that she yelled, “They’re here,” before running upstairs to hide in the attic.
Detectives said the man was actually a pest control salesman carrying an iPad.
He was shot in the chest and taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
She was charged with felony aggravated assault and was released from jail on a $4,000 bond. Her court date is set for October 13th.
Johnson was a former Captain with the Shelby County Sheriff Department. She was fired and then indicted on charges of misconduct in 2016 regarding her son’s rape case. The charges included misconduct and coercing a witness.
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