Jefferson County deputy, suspect shot during Birmingham drug raid

AL.com – by Carol Robinson

A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy was wounded by gunfire this evening during a drug raid in southwest Birmingham.

Update 8:29 p.m. Chief Deputy Randy Christian tells AL.com the deputy injured in the” shooting was the first one through the door when the warrant was served.

“The deputies were immediately met by fire,” said Sheriff Mike Hale. “One of my deputies, an undercover deputy, was shot. We returned fire and pulled him to safety.”  

Authorities said the deputies were fired on by “an unseen suspect shooting through a wall.”

Deputies returned fire after the suspect shot the injured deputy. Three suspects fled the house on foot at that time. Two were taken into custody immediately. One of them had been shot in the shoulder.

Christian said it was learned that the third suspect that fled was shot in the ankle and was able to get a ride away from the area. He remains at large. He asked one motorist for a ride, but that motorist refused. That suspect is described as a black male wearing a purple shirt.

Three suspects remained inside the house and refused to come out. Birmingham Police along with other deputies and surrounding agencies arrived on the scene and established a perimeter. The Sheriff’s Office SWAT team arrived. Tear gas was put into the house and two of the three remaining suspects came out and were taken into custody. The final suspect was taken into custody as the SWAT team entered the home.

Three adult males and one adult female are being questioned by detectives at the Sheriff’s Office. One suspect remains at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. A sixth suspect with a wounded ankle remains at large. Charges have not yet been announced.

Detectives and evidence technicians remain on the scene and in the area conducting the investigation. Several guns and drugs have been located.

In all, Christian said, there are six suspects – five of whom are in custody.

Hale and Christian were with the wounded deputy at the hospital.The deputy, a husband and father with more than a decade on the force, is expected to undergo reconstructive knee surgery on Friday.

Other top ranking sheriff’s officials were on the scene of the shooting, where roughly 100 officers converged, including the ATF.

The injured deputy is awake and his family is by his side. “The deputy is in good spirits,” Hale said. “I had a chance to visit with him. I’m so proud of him.”

Hale said said it’s tough to have one of his deputies wounded and described it this way: “My heart is in my throat.” But, he said, their work is crucial, despite the risks.

“I understand that taking down these drug houses mean so much to the community,” he said. “There’s guns money and drugs in these places. We’re prepared, we train for this. My deputies go in harm’s way every day”

Sheriff’s officials said it’s unclear how many suspects will be charged. He said they’ve been in communication with Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls.

The shooting happened just before 5 p.m. on Dowell Avenue, west of Interstate 65. More than fifty police vehicles blocked off the intersections of neighboring streets as law enforcement continued the investigation.

Residents of the neighborhood, and those who lived across town, congregated near the crime scene to witness the standoff.

Here's some video of the police releasing tear gas pic.twitter.com/FFoW3dEErQ

— Jonece Starr Dunigan (@StarrDunigan) July 1, 2016

Uneeko Hall was on the phone with her sons who were walking in a park near the crime scene when she heard gunfire in the background. She heard someone tell the boys that if they ran, they would live.

Then her son hangs up the phone.

She said her heart raced as she grabbed her husband and jumped in the car to go pick up her son’s. They were found unharmed.

“Bullets don’t have no names. You can aim one way, but a bullet can go anywhere,” Hall said. “I was praying, ‘Lord, please protect my babies.'”

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2016/06/jefferson_county_sheriffs_depu_1.html