Police officer fatally shot at Alabama motel; two in custody
He was identified as Moody Police Sgt. Stephen Williams, 23, who had spent three years with the department, news outlets reported. He was shot shortly before 9:30 p.m. and taken by ambulance to a hospital, 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.
News outlets reported there was a possible standoff at the motel with a heavy police presence, and two suspects have been taken into custody.
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.
