On a quiet morning in Prince Edward, Virginia, the lives of those in a peaceful home were forever altered by a sudden and violent intrusion. On February 16, 2013, Albert Lorenzo Johnson Jr., a 37-year-old male, along with an accomplice, broke into a residence in the Prospect area. The homeowner, a 25-year-old father, was asleep inside with his two-year-old son when the sound of a crash shattered the morning calm.
Confronted with the terrifying reality of intruders in his home, the
homeowner armed himself with a handgun. In a harrowing exchange of gunfire that lasted less than a minute, both Albert Lorenzo Johnson Jr. and his accomplice, 29-year-old Carl Wayne Saunders Jr., were fatally wounded. Saunders was shot inside the residence, while Johnson succumbed to his injuries on the front lawn of the property.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, it was discovered that a third individual had been involved in the home invasion. This third suspect managed to escape the scene, reportedly fleeing in a vehicle that had been parked nearby. The Prince Edward County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation, utilizing search dogs in an attempt to track the escaped suspect, but their efforts to locate him were unsuccessful.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed the identities of Johnson and Saunders, and their bodies were sent to the Medical Examiner's Office in Richmond for autopsy. The investigation determined that the homeowner had acted in self-defense, and as a result, no charges were filed against him. The focus of the ongoing investigation remained on the identification and apprehension of the third suspect who fled the scene. To date, there have been no public announcements regarding any arrests in connection with the third individual involved in the home invasion.
