Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall on Wednesday released a statement mourning the death of Moody Police Department Sgt. Stephen Williams, who was fatally shot in the line of duty on Tuesday evening.

Williams, 50, had been a police officer for 23 years, the last three years with Moody PD.

He was married with three sons.

“I was devastated to receive the phone call late last night that another one of our law enforcement heroes had lost his life,” Marshall said. “I have been slow to make a public statement today because, after a record-breaking year of law enforcement deaths in our state, words just seem so inadequate.”

Marshall outlined, “Sergeant Williams was responding to a call for help at local hotel. He showed up, ready to assist, and was instantly shot dead. At this point, we have no reason to believe that Sergeant Williams’s shooting is related to the unrest we’re witnessing across the nation. Nevertheless, our state has been plagued in recent months by a lack of respect for law enforcement—most of whom are genuinely good men and women, from all backgrounds, doing an incredibly difficult job.”

A Facebook post from July 2018 shows that Williams helped secure a basketball hoop and basketballs for at-risk youth in his community.

“Whether black or white, law enforcement or civilian, we are all Alabamians,” Marshall concluded. “None of us benefit from lawlessness. As I shared with Moody Police Chief Hunt last night, my prayers and deepest sympathies are with the department and Sergeant Williams’s family. My Office stands ready to assist in any way that we can.”

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Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn