On a tragic Thanksgiving weekend in Selma, Alabama, the life of 28-year-old Johnny James Bonner III was cut short in an act of violence that also claimed the life of another young man. The Black/African American male and 24-year-old Wendell Pullom were discovered by responding officers in the 1300 block of Ceola L. Miller Avenue on November 27, 2020.
Both men had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Selma Police Department swiftly launched an investigation into the double homicide, and their efforts quickly led to the identification of a suspect. Forty-one-year-old Roderick Shontell Harrison was named as the individual sought in connection with the killings. As the community grieved, law enforcement actively searched for Harrison, seeking to bring him to justice for the violent deaths of Bonner and Pullom.
A few days following the incident, the search for the suspect came to a close when Roderick Shontell Harrison surrendered to authorities on December 2, 2020. He was subsequently taken into custody and faced the grave charge of capital murder for his alleged role in the double homicide. Following his arrest, Harrison was held without bond in the Dallas County Jail, awaiting legal proceedings. Johnny Bonner's funeral was held on December 5, 2020, at Potters Place Church in Selma. He is survived by his mother, a son, and three brothers.
