MINUTES.
LOOK AHEAD THE MORE NASTY WEATHER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS WELL OVER THE GUY AND LISA.
ALL RIGHT, JERRY.
THANKS A BIRMINGHA POLICE OFFICER IS RECOVERING AFTER BEING SHOT DURING A TRAFFIC STOP.
YEAH THAT SHOOTING HAPPENED HERE TUSCALOOSA AVENUE IN THE LUNCH HOUR TODAY WVTM 13 STOP.
HE BEGINS OUR TEAM COVERAGE.
HE IS LIVE A FEW BLOCKS FROM WHERE THE SHOTS WERE FIRED JOHN.
WHAT DOES THI SCENE LOOK LIKE NOW?
YEAH, LISA ABOUT THREE HOURS AFTER THAT OFFICER AND A SUSPECT WERE SHOT ON TUSCALOOSA AVENUE, WHICH IS ABOUT TWO BLOCKS BEHIND ME HERE.
THE POLICE PRESENCE HAS DWINDLED GREATLY OVER THE LAST 10 OR 15 MINUTES OR SO.
NOW WE WERE TOLD THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR A THIRD SUSPECT.
SO EITHER THAT SEARCHES OVER OR THE FOCUS OF THAT SEARCH HAS MOVED ELSEWHERE NOW AROUND 12:45 THIS AFTERNOON.
WE’RE TOLD THAT AN OFFICER PULLED OVER A VEHICLE ON TUSCALOOSA AVENUE SOUTHWEST.
THEY BELIEVE THAT VEHICLE WAS CONNECTED TO AN AUTO THEFT INVESTIGATION AT SOME POINT TWO PEOPLE.
OUT OF THE CAR AND RAN OFF DURING A POLICE FOOT CHASE INVESTIGATORS SAY THERE WAS AN EXCHANGE OF GUNFIRE BETWEEN THE SUSPECT AND THE OFFICER THE OFFICER AND THE SUSPECT WERE
SHOT BOTH WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL A PERSON OF INTEREST WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND POLICE AT SOME POINT THIS AFTERNOON.
WE’RE STILL SEARCHING FOR A THIRD PERSON NOW SCENES LIKE THIS HAVE BECOME ALL TOO FAMILIAR FOR BIRMINGHAM’S FINEST.
THE OFFICER INJURED TODAY IS THE FIFTH SHOT IN BIRMINGHAM I THE LAST 14 MONTHS.
WHEN WE COME TO WORK, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A HIGH RISK THAT WE’RE DEALING WITH WE COME OUT AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SERVE AND PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF BIRMINGHAM.
SO IS THERE IS VERY DIFFICULT.
HOWEVER, WE KNOW A JOB THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE TO DO EACH AND EVERY DAY WHEN WE COME TO WORK.
LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A THIRD PERSON IN THIS INVESTIGATION.
THERE WERE SEVERAL VEHICLES HERE JUST ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES AGO THOSE VEHICLES HAVE NOW LEFT AND WE ALSO WERE TOLD AROUND 5:30 THIS EVENING.
THE POLICE CHIEF IS GOING TO BE GIVING A PRESS CONFERENCE THE LATEST DETAILS TO US AT BIRMINGHAM POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
SO HOPEFULLY WE’LL FIND OUT AT THAT POINT THAT THIRD SUSPECT HAS NOW BEEN APPREHENDED LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM JOHN PAPKE WVTM 1 RIGHT NOW WE KNOW BOTH THE OFFICER AND A SUSPECT.
TREATED AT UAB AND THAT’S WHERE WVTM 13 XAVIER HARRIS JOINS US LIVE.
HO ARE THEY DOING NOW XAVIER?
WE KNOW THE OFFICER WAS SHOT AND HE’S IN HE IS STABLE RIGHT NOW WITH NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES.
ACCORDING TO SERGEANT ROAD AREAS MALDEN WITH A BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE OFFICER WAS SHOT IN THE LEG AND THE SUSPECT WAS ALSO HIT AS WELL AND WE’RE WORKING TO LEARN HIS CONDITION NOW OFFICERS HAVE BEEN HERE AT UAB ALL DAY.
WE’ BEEN SEEING THEM ALL AFTERNOON.
YOU CAN SEE A NUMBER OF CRUISERS PARKED OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL.
WE’VE SEEN THEM COMING AND GOING FOR HOURS NOW WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICERS COMING IN AND OUT TO SEE WHO THE OFFICER IS AND WHO THAT SHOOTER IS AGAIN.
THE OFFICER IS STABLE.
HE WAS SHOT IN THE LEG AND AS SOON AS WE GET NEW DETAILS, WE WILL RELAY THOSE TO YOU LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM SAVE YOU HAIR IS WVTM 13 THAT SHOOTOUT HAPPENED IN THE NEIGHBORHOO IN WEST END
WVTM 13 SPREE.
DOUGLAS CONTINUES OUR TEAM COVERAGE WITH WHAT NEIGHBO REPORT SEEING AND HEARING BRIA GUY AND LISA, I’M ON 12TH STREET AND TUSCALOOSA AVENUE WHERE THE POLICE PRESENCE HAS DECREASED
SIGNIFICANTLY WITH ONLY ABOUT THREE POLICE CARS ARE SO STILL ON THE SCENE NOW EARLIER TODAY.
I SPOKE WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT THE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND MOST OF THEM TOLD ME THEY WEREN’T SURPRISED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
THEY TELL ME THE SOUND OF GUNFIRE IS A REGULAR AND CURRANTS.
IN FACT ONE MAN TOLD ME HE WAS SITTING HIS FRONT PORCH WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT 50 GUNSHOTS GO OFF AND HE SAYS HE WAS UNFAZED BY IT.
ANOTHER WOMAN TOLD ME SHE WISHES THERE WOULD BE THE SAME AMOUNT OF POLICE PRESENCE WHEN ANY OTHER PERSON IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD IS SHOT AND I’LL HAVE MORE REACTION FROM NEIGHBORS
INCLUDING THE MANHUNT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD COMING UP AT FIVE O’CLOCK LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM RIA DOUGLAS WVTM 13 CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, WILLIAM PARKER RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING IN
PART THESE SENSELESS ACTS OF VIOLENCE MUST STOP.
WE’RE CALLING ON ALL OUR RESIDENTS TO COME TOGETHER AND UNITE AGAINST THESE HOSTILE ACTS.
BECAUSE THIS VIOLENCE AFFECTS US ALL AND COUNSELOR HUNTER WILLIAMS ALSO SAID IN A STATEMENT EVERY DAY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT PUT ON THE UNIFORMS
AND GO TO WORK FOR THE CITIZENS OF BIRMINGHAM.
THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE EVERY DAY TO KEEP US SAFE.
WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LIFT UP THIS OFFICER AND OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS STEP TWO MINUTES WITH ANY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SHOOTING INVESTIGATION BY DOWNLOADING THE WVTM 13