On Tuesday afternoon, two police officers from the Huntsville Police Department in Alabama were shot while responding to a report of a woman being shot at an apartment complex.
Alabama Police Officer fatally shot ( Photo: Fox News )
Two Alabama Police officers from the Huntsville Police Department were shot
One officer, Officer Garrett Crumby, died from his injuries, and the other was critically wounded and underwent emergency surgery. The female victim of the shooting was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
The officers were shot by a man who barricaded himself inside an apartment after firing at them. He was later captured and identified as Juan Robert Laws, 24. He was arrested by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and charged with capital murder of a law enforcement officer. He was being held without bond, and his lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officer Crumby was a three-year veteran of the Huntsville Police Department and had previously served for eight years with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. He was described by his mother as a gentle soul and the kind of police officer other officers wanted to be. He was also a volunteer firefighter before becoming a police officer.
Huntsville Police Chief Kirk Giles said in a statement that the loss of Officer Crumby was devastating for the department, the Huntsville community, and the state of Alabama. The other officer who was shot was fighting for his life, and Giles asked the public to keep all the officers and the entire department in their prayers.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said that the city was heartbroken, and words could not express their loss.
He expressed gratitude for the community’s support and unity with the police officers and their families in this tragic moment.
The suspect was apprehended about an hour after the shooting, and officers huddled in prayer outside the hospital where the officer was taken and later surrounded the hearse that was called to transport his body for autopsy.
The shooting of the two police officers has shocked the Huntsville community and is a tragic reminder of the dangers that law enforcement officers face every day while protecting and serving their communities.
