A Former Tennessee Sheriff’s Captain Believed a Pest Control Salesman Was Really a Hitman. So She Shot Him, Officials Say.
Tennessee woman shot salesman because she believed he was a hitman.
Oct. 3 2023, Published 12:02 p.m. ET
A former Tennessee Sheriff’s Officer captain has been arrested after she was accused of shooting a pest control salesman she suspected was really a hitman, according to authorities.
On Sept. 27, detectives responded to a shooting at a residence in Cordova, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said one man was transported to an area hospital in critical condition and one woman, later identified as Monica Johnson, was detained.
Court documents state Johnson and her father were reportedly in the living room when she spotted an “unknown subject” wearing a hoodie walking to her door on the home's security camera, WATN-TV reported.
Johnson believed the man was armed with an assault rifle, so she ran up to the attic and shouted, “They’re here.”
Johnson allegedly fired at the unknown subject, who turned out to be a pest control salesman carrying what was determined to be an iPad, WATN-TV reported. He suffered a gunshot wound to the torso.
Police found bullet holes in the front door and recovered two bullet casings inside the house. Investigators located the gun in the attic’s crawlspace, where Johnson was hiding, officials said.
Johnson “would not admit to shooting a gun” and told police she hid in the attic, according to WATN-TV.
Her father told investigators Johnson allegedly fired the gun, which he owned for protection, court documents state.
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Johnson was arrested and booked into the Shelby County Jail, and she was charged with aggravated assault, authorities said. She posted a $4,000 bond the following day.
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Johnson reportedly believed the salesman was a hitman because her son, who is currently incarcerated for child rape, warned her a local gang might be after her, WATN-TV reported.
Johnson was previously a captain in the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, but in 2016, she was charged for coercion of witnesses and official misconduct, according to WATN-TV.
The charges were reportedly related to her son’s criminal case.
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