Moody police Sgt. Stephen Williams shot dead responding to call at Super 8 motel: 2 in custody, one remains barricaded inside in stand-off.
A police officer was fatally shot Tuesday night while responding to a call at a motel in Alabama, according to reports.
Sgt. Stephen Williams, a 23-year veteran and had been with the Moody Police Department for three years. The 50 year old cop was shot shortly before 9:30 p.m. and taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead AL.com reported.
‘His loss is a loss for all of Alabama,’ Jay E. Town, U.S. attorney for the northern district of Alabama, said in a statement. ‘This serves as yet another heartbreaking and stark reminder of the perils encountered by law enforcement each day.’
‘He was just a good man, a good person, fun to be around,’ Moody Police Chief Thomas Hunt told AL.com.
It is thought a possible standoff at the motel had led to Sgt. Williams’ shooting death. Two suspects, a male and a female have been taken into custody while a 3rd remained barricaded inside a motel room.
Moody, Alabama police officer dies following shooting at Super 8 motel. Chief Thomas Hunt identified the slain officer as Sgt. Stephen Williams. Williams had been a police officer for 23 years. After a tense standoff, authorities apprehended one male and one female. pic.twitter.com/sHwTOIa9Tf
— Mass Attack Media (@massattackmedia) June 3, 2020
‘I heard like an AK-47,’
The trussvilletribune reports Sgt. Stephen Williams was the night-shift sergeant. He had been promoted to sergeant in the past year.
Video from the scene showed dozens of law enforcement vehicles and a medical helicopter at a Super 8 motel. ABC 33/40 reported that a camera at a nearby business captured audio of what sounded like a barrage of gunfire.
Moody is a city in St. Clair County about 22 miles (35 kilometers) east of Birmingham.
Amar Fouda told AL.com he heard a lot of noise from the room next to his. ‘I heard like an AK-47,’ he said. Fouda said he ran into the bathroom and hid in the tub.
It remained unclear what led to police being called to the venue.