BREWTON, Ala. (AP) – A motorist was fatally shot and an Alabama state trooper was shot and wounded after a traffic stop escalated into a car chase and shootout on Easter night, authorities said.
Two other people were also wounded and hospitalized, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a press release Sunday, without providing further details on the extent of their injuries or how they may have been involved.
The episode began at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday when the trooper tried to pull over a vehicle for a traffic violation on Interstate 65 in Conecuh County but the driver refused to stop, according to the state agency. The chase went into Escambia County until the vehicle left the road.
“Once off the roadway an officer-involved shooting occurred,” the agency said. The trooper, identified as Cpl .Jeremy Alford, was “struck by gunfire and was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment.”
Alford is expected to make a full recovery, Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Hal Taylor said in a statement.
“Cpl. Alford acted with true courage and heroism over the course of the incident and was able to secure the scene and ensure public safety while injured,” Taylor said, adding that Alford has served for nearly three decades in law enforcement.
No additional details would be released because the shooting is under investigation by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, which is standard in officer-involved shootings, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. The bureau will hand over its results to the Escambia County district attorney.
