Uh oh…things aren’t looking too good for the Alabama cops connected to the fatal shooting of Steve Perkins, a Black man who was killed in September during a towing dispute. The Alabama police department just served the ultimate punishment to three officers involved in the incident.
Home surveillance camera footage from Sept. 29 shows 39-year-old Perkins confronting a tow truck driver who appeared to be repossessing his vehicle from his home. Perkins walked out with a flashlight and a firearm, authorities say. Then, a Decatur Police officer snuck up from behind the house ordering Perkins to drop his weapon but fired at him within milliseconds of delivering the command.
City Mayor Tab Bowling announced last week that the officer in question plus two of his colleagues were dismissed from the police department and a fourth officer was suspended following a series of personnel hearings regarding the shooting, per WHNT-19.
The mayor didn’t specify the reasons for the officers’ dismissal. Though, the announcement comes after the Decatur Police Department stated an internal investigation found those cops violated department policy in the shooting. Their fate still rests in the hands of another probe that could result in criminal charges.
“While the Mayor’s decision brings resolution to one portion of the investigation into what occurred, an active criminal investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency continues. That investigation is independent of the now-concluded Decatur Police Department Administrative investigation,” said DPD Chief Todd Pinion in a statement.
The officers have seven days to appeal their termination from the department. Under that action, the mayor said it was possible their names may be disclosed to the public. While the termination brought some comfort to Perkins’ family, they tell WHNT-19 they hope to see the same officers come under prosecution.
“Three officers being fired and one being suspended is no comparison to Catrela losing her husband, me losing my brother, my mom losing her son, that’s not justified. We want these officers prosecuted,” Perkins’ brother, Nicholas, said.