On Friday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. a first appearance hearing was held for John Gibbons before honorable Judge Reeves in the Emanuel County Superior Courtroom. During his hearing, Gibbons was charged with felony murder during the commission of an armed robbery without the possibility of bond.
The following Monday, April 24, a first appearance hearing was held for the second suspect in this investigation, Dwight Dietangion Nixon, before honorable Judge Reeves in the Emanuel County Superior Courtroom. Nixon was charged with felony murder with no discussion of bond.
On the evening of April 19, at approximately 4:56 p.m., officers of the Swainsboro Police Department responded to shots fired on New Street. Upon arrival, officers observed a black male lying on the roadway. Additional officers, along with medical staff, were on scene just minutes later. Medical first responders began providing aid to the male subject as officers began to secure the scene and talk to witnesses.
Based on information from the scene, officers were able to locate an apparent abandoned vehicle that fit the vehicle description used by the suspects of the shooting. The abandoned vehicle was located in a short period of time following the shooting, and due to the short time frame, the Swainsboro Police Department K-9 team was deployed from the car location. Agency K-9 quickly began to track human odor from the vehicle into the woods adjacent to the vehicle, which led to the apprehension of John Gibbons, age 57. Gibbons was arrested by officers without incident.
The victim, Darius Tashon Johnson, 31, of Swainsboro, was air lifted to Augusta University Medical Center due to the severity of his injuries. The agency received news at 9:09 p.m. that the victim succumbed from his injuries.
On April 21, officers of the Swainsboro Police Department joined deputies of the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Department in following leads on the whereabouts of a second suspect involved in the April 19 shooting.
Several locations were searched with no success. At approximately 2:20 p.m., law enforcement personnel were able to locate 38-year-old Dwight Dietangion Nixon, of a Sparks, Georgia address at a Twin City address. Warrants had been obtained earlier that day on Nixon for murder after the investigation led law enforcement to believe he was directly involved in the shooting of Johnson.
Nixon was transported to Emanuel County Jail without further incident.
This joint operation between the Emanuel County Sheriff Staff and Swainsboro Police Staff led to a quick and productive end to the search for the second suspect in this tragic incident.
This case remains under investigation with the possibility of additional arrests to come.
