By By Adrienne McKenzie
A car accident that occurred Saturday morning is responsible for taking the life of McCullough resident and ECHS grad Jacorey Devon Johnson, 19.
According to Johnson's mother, Pat Johnson, Jacorey was on his way home from a football game in Brewton when the wreck occurred.
"We don't know if he fell asleep, we aren't sure what happened," she said. "He had driven his car to Pizza Hut to work and then went to Brewton for a football game. After the game, he hung around with some friends. We don't know a lot of information about the accident, but I don't choose to know."
Patricia Johnson said her son was driving a new Pontiac Bonneville that the family had purchased Friday. She said he had used his cell phone between 2:30 and 2:40 a.m. and that was the last phone call he made. She said apparently he ran off the road. The electricity at the Johnson's home cut off around 4 a.m. and that's when Jacorey Johnson's parents woke up.
"At about 4:20 I heard fire trucks," Jacorey Johnson's father Charles Johnson said. "I decided to follow them. When I got there I shined a flashlight on the car, but I didn't recognize it. I just remember thinking 'whoever was in that car is dead.' The fireman asked if I knew the person laying there on the ground. I shined the flashlight on him and saw the back of his head and said 'that's my son.' I was the one that identified him."
Jacorey Johnson was born Aug. 10, 1988. He graduated from Escambia County High School in 2006 and was attending Jefferson Davis Community College. He was intending on becoming a pharmaceutical salesman whenever graduating from college.
His parents said Jacorey Johnson was full of life and always smiling. They said he had a passion for playing the drums, delivering pizza for the Atmore Pizza Hut and was loved by all.
"He was a drummer for our church," Pat Johnson said. "He loved playing the drums. On Sunday mornings he was always going somewhere to play the drums at church. He was always smiling."
"He was the only person I knew who could touch people's hearts delivering pizza," Charles Johnson said. "I laid in the bed the night he got killed and tried to think of one bad thing about him and stayed on zero. If you come to the wake or funeral, everybody there was a special friend of Jacorey."
As a part of his studies at JDCC, Jacorey Johnson participated in the work study program.
"One of his work study duties was to tutor at Huxford and those kids were crazy about him," his mother said.
"He was so dedicated in doing that at Huxford Elementary School," Charles Johnson said. "When school started back and the work study program hadn't started, he still went to help out."
Jacorey Johnson has a twin brother, Tacorey, who said he will always remember his best friend.
"He was well-mannered," Tacorey Johnson said. "He smiled all the time. He was a church member of Lighthouse Apostolic Holiness Church. When he tutored at Huxford the kids would call him 'Mr. Johnson' and he loved that. He had their respect. He liked basketball and drag racing. He was in the high school marching band and Future Teachers of Alabama. Everybody liked him, I can't think of anybody who didn't like him. He was my best friend and as long as I live he'll never go away. He lives through me."
One of Jacorey Johnson's other siblings, Sedrick Lawson, said when he has always heard great things about his brother.
"He was a good friend to me," Lawson said. "When I was in the military I'd call and keep up with them and I only heard good things."
Jacorey Johnson's sister, Kenesha Frye, said her brother was someone children looked up to in the community.
"He was just always smiling and doing something goofy," she said. "He was a people person in general. A lot of the kids looked up to him."
Johnson has one more brother, Sedrick Lawson, who was not available for comment.
Jacorey Johnson's cousin Wade Johnson III said the two used to have a great time together.
"We used to go bowling a lot," Wade Johnson III said. "We would play games and shoot basketball. And he always gave me information about the females."
Another cousin, Reginald Johnson, said he will miss spending time with Jacorey.
"We would always go and spend time with each other playing spades," Reginald Johnson said. "I'm going to miss that."
According to the Escambia County Sheriff's Department, the accident occurred at Smithfield Road and McCullough Road Saturday morning around 4:30 a.m. The McCullough Volunteer Fire Department, EMS, Poarch Rescue, the sheriff's office and state troopers office all responded. Alabama Power also had to come repair the power pole that fell due to the accident.
Funeral arrangements have been made. Please contact Christian Memorial Funeral Home at 368-2123 for more information.