Authorities say gun used in Hobson City assault/suicide had been stolen in Anniston

Sheriff Larry Amerson

Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson, said Monday that  the .40-caliber pistol used in a suicide and assault in Hobson City earlier this month had originally been purchased from a store in Douglasville, Ga.  The guns owner said he had been visiting his mother in Anniston when it was stolen from his vehicle.  According to Amerson, the owner reported the theft to Anniston police on July 3, 2011.  Authorities say the same gun was used in a shooting in Hobson City on Jan. 8^th.  34 year old Johnny Austin Evans, of Hobson City, shot his girlfriend, 22 year old Tuy Kim Truong, once in the head and once in the neck before shooting himself at his Council Avenue home.  The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was asked to trace the gun’s history. Amerson said Monday that investigators are still trying to figure out how Evans got the gun.  Evans had been convicted of manslaughter in 1998 in connection with the 1996 shooting death of Christopher Jackson. According to state law, anyone convicted of a violent crime is prohibited from owning a handgun.   Amerson said now that investigators know the gun was stolen, they will continue interviewing people to find out how Evans got it.