On the evening of September 7, 2022, a sense of unease settled over a Stafford, Virginia apartment complex on Declaration Drive as the sound of a gunshot shattered the night's quiet. Responding to a call at approximately 10:36 p.m., deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office arrived to a grim scene. There, in front of one of the buildings, lay 45-year-old Anthony Jermaine Johnson, a male resident of Stafford, suffering from a gunshot wound.
Bystanders and deputies rushed to
provide first aid, their efforts a desperate attempt to hold back the encroaching darkness. Medics arrived and swiftly transported Johnson to a nearby hospital, but his injury proved too severe. A short time later, Anthony Jermaine Johnson succumbed to his wound, his life tragically cut short. The investigation into his death was immediately classified as a homicide, launching detectives into a round-the-clock effort to piece together the events of that fatal night.
The tireless work of the detectives quickly bore fruit. Through the collection of evidence and the pursuit of leads, a suspect was identified. Just one day after the shooting, on September 8, 2022, authorities arrested 24-year-old William McQueen, also a resident of Stafford. McQueen was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail as the investigation continued.
