Dothan Police Officer Shoots Man To Death
By: Staff Report
Updated: June 28, 2012
A police pursuit ended Thursday when an officer shot and killed a man being chased along Montgomery Highway. A person working inside a sign shop was injured when the man who was shot rammed his car into the building.
The pursuit began shortly before 4:00 pm on Whiddon Street when the officer, who has not been identified, tried to stop the car. Police Chief Greg Benton said the patrolman believed he recognized the driver as a person wanted on a felony warrant.
The man pursued stopped in a parking lot then took off again---ramming a car. The chasing officer then fired shots, striking the man who died. His car crashed into Sign Designs where a a customer was injured. That person is expected to survive.
"The suspect was shot one time as he tried to flee," said Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton. Eyewitnesses says several shots were fired.
Sources familiar with the investigation say investigators are working to double check the identity of the man killed. An ID belonging to a 22-year old man was found on his person but a tattoo on the body showed another name, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The Alabama Bureau of Investigation---as a matter of policy----is probing the officer involved shooting. Their findings will likely be presented to District Attorney Doug Valeska who will decide if the matter will be taken to a grand jury. Such procedure is routine in such incidents.
Dothan Police have scheduled a press conference Friday morning to discuss the case.
