Police Looking for 4 Jail Escapees Find Separate Fugitive Wanted on Murder Charge, Who Then Shoots Himself

Christian Demond Williams, 23, a fugitive wanted on a murder charge, had been missing for more than seven months

Authorities in Georgia were looking for four inmates who escaped from a jail earlier this month when the investigation led them to a separate fugitive wanted on a murder charge, who then shot himself.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said members of the U.S. Marshals Service went to The Pines on Vineville apartment community in Macon, Ga., just before 7 a.m. that day after receiving tips in reference to the four escaped inmates.

When law enforcement knocked on the door of an apartment, a man answered from inside before authorities received gunfire that came through the closed door.

After the sheriff's office's SWAT team arrived, authorities went inside the apartment, where they found a man who was suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victim was identified as Christian Demond Williams, 23, a fugitive wanted on a murder charge who had been missing for more than seven months.

Williams was listed in critical condition at a local hospital as of Monday, according to the sheriff's office.

Four inmates escaped the Bibb County Detention Center on Oct. 16. In the Facebook post, the sheriff's office said, "Christian Williams's involvement in the incident of the four escaped inmates is currently under investigation."

According to the sheriff’s office, Williams was initially believed to have been kidnapped on March 6, hours before he was due in court for 2021 murder charges. The charges stem from the shooting death of a man at a Macon, Ga., convenience store, authorities told CBS News. It’s unclear if Williams entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

District Attorney Anita Howard told WPDE-TV in March that her office was trying to determine whether Williams was actually kidnapped or whether he was on the run.

“Either way, we need to get Mr. Williams back in custody for his own safety and the safety of the community,” she said in a statement at the time, per the outlet.

A woman at the apartment, identified as Mykia Mynesha Williams, was arrested and charged with aiding an escape, according to jail records cited by CBS News and The Washington Post. It’s unclear how she’s related to Williams or if she has retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.

Related: Manhunt Underway for 4 Ga. Inmates — Including Murder Suspect — Who Escaped Jail

The four men who escaped last week — including one who is charged with murder —  got free through “a damaged day room window and a cut fence,” where a blue Dodge Challenger was waiting to help them at 3 a.m., the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said in a previous statement.

The inmates were identified by authorities as Joey Fournier, 52, accused of murder; Marc Kerry Anderson, 24, who was being held on aggravated assault charges; Johnifer Dernard Barnwell, who was being detained by the United States Marshals and Chavis Demaryo Stokes, 29, who was being detained after being accused of possession of a firearm and drug trafficking.

During a news conference last week streamed by 13WMAZ,  Sheriff David Davis said that around 6 a.m. “a break in the fence was found in the perimeter” of the jail.

He also reportedly noted that earlier that evening, a vehicle had been captured in video footage “that looked like they had been tampering with the fence, as well as bringing some items into the enclosed area of the fence that we believe were used by these inmates to escape.”

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On Friday, the blue Dodge Challenger investigators believe was used in the inmate escape was found abandoned in the parking lot of a blood bank in Macon, Ga, according to a press release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle was located after authorities said they followed up on tips.

Sheriff David Davis said in a statement at the time that he “appreciates the tips and every lead that we have received is being followed up on.”

According to the Associated Press, local and federal authorities are offering a combined $75,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the four escaped inmates.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the four jail escapees is asked to call the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED2. Tips may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or the USMS Tips App.

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