Crime & Safety

Pilot Shot To Death While Driving To Airport: Police

William Todd Johnson, of The Woodlands, was shot to death as he was driving to the Conroe Regional Airport on Friday, police said.

CONROE, TEXAS – Police are now investigating the death of a Woodlands man as foul play after they determined he was shot to death on Friday morning. Police initially believed William Todd Johnson, 73, died in a car crash.

According to the Conroe Police Department, Johnson was driving his 1956 Corvette near the intersection of Airport Parkway and Airport Road when his car ran off the road and crashed into a concrete pillar outside the Conroe Regional Airport, police said. The crash occurred at 6:30 a.m., Friday.

Montgomery County Hospital District officials said they were alerted to the accident scene by a bystander, who reported the driver was dead at the scene.

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An autopsy over the weekend revealed it was the gunshot wound that killed Johnson, police said.

Police said they they immediately saw clues that made them suspect foul play, including the absence of brake marks at the crash scene. During their investigation, investigators found Johnson had suffered a gunshot wound while he was driving, which caused the crash, according to law enforcement officials.

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Investigators didn’t say if Johnson had a weapon in his car at the time of the crash.

Conroe Police are asking with information on this case to call Lt. James Kelemen at 936-522-3272 or Detective Bret. Irvine at 936-522-3257.

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