A suspect was killed and a Homewood police officer injured after gunfire was exchanged in a business parking lot off of Lakeshore Parkway early Thursday morning.
The shooting occurred outside of Allsouth Appliance at 345 State Farm Parkway. At around 1:30 a.m., two Homewood police officers spotted two vehicles in the parking lot, one of which had its trunk open. There were two men and a woman near the vehicles.
The officers suspected the cars may have been used in a string of break-ins in the city. As they were attempting to identify one of the main suspects, he fled on foot. The officers chased him, deploying their taser guns, which had no effect on the suspect.
The suspect then began firing at the officers, hitting one in the thigh. Officers returned fire, killing the suspect. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The wounded officer was taken to Grandview Medical Center and is in stable condition. At 5 a.m., the suspect was taken to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. The other two persons of interest were taken into custody.
Both officers will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard policy for officer-involved shootings. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will conduct the investigation.