On a November evening in 2004, a call regarding a domestic disturbance at a residence on Belmont Drive in Bristol, Tennessee, set in motion a tragic chain of events. Bristol Police Officer Mark Edward Vance, a 30-year-old male, was the first to arrive at the scene on November 27th. He entered the home around 9:20 p.m. to investigate the report of a man threatening a juvenile female inside.
As a backup officer approached the front door, a single gunshot from a.
357 caliber handgun echoed from within the house. The backup officer witnessed a handgun being raised but could not see the shooter due to the interior layout of the home. That single shot struck Officer Vance in the head, and his service weapon was still in its holster. He had served as a full-time officer for a year and a half, following four years as an auxiliary officer, and was also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
After the shooting, the suspect, Nickolus L. Johnson, dropped the weapon and exited the house, where he was immediately taken into custody by the responding officers. Johnson was subsequently charged with the murder of Officer Vance.
In 2007, Nickolus L. Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Officer Mark Edward Vance. Following the conviction, he was sentenced to death. Despite the passage of many years and numerous appeals, Johnson remains on death row.
