Aaron Winston Johnson, a 23-year-old man, was shot and killed in his hometown of Jefferson, Georgia, on the afternoon of September 22, 2026. Around 3:16 p.m., the Jefferson Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at the Subway restaurant located at 5210 US Hwy. 129. When officers arrived, they found Johnson with multiple gunshot wounds.
He was transported to a regional hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The Jefferson Police Department requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) lead the case. Investigators learned that earlier on the day of the shooting, two men had gone to a home in Commerce, Georgia, to talk with Johnson, but he did not come out of the residence. Authorities did not release details about what may have led to the later confrontation at the Subway.
The day after the shooting, on September 23, 2026, law enforcement located two suspects in DeKalb County. The men were identified as Terrance Singleton, age 21, and Brian Taylor, age 23, both from the nearby town of Pendergrass. They were arrested and taken to the Jackson County Jail.
Both Singleton and Taylor were charged with murder in connection with Aaron Johnson’s death. The investigation was a multi-agency effort that included the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Pendergrass Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, and DeKalb County Sheriff's Office. As of September 2026, the investigation was ongoing. Officials ask anyone with information to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens at 706-552-2309 or the GBI tip line at 1-800-597-8477.
