Florence Police…Imminent Danger Led To Lethal Force…Three Suspects Shot

by Roger Murphy
0 comment

Eric Lee Trousdale (WM) 04/20/1978 39 yr old
100 County Road 609
Florence, AL 35634

FLORENCE-Police Chief Ron Tyler released a statement concerning the officer-involved shooting that took place in the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 7:

“At 5:50 a.m. on February 7, 2018, while executing a lawful search warrant, our officers encountered a dangerous and threatening situation at a residence located at 100 County Road 609. These officers faced the imminent threat of serious physical injury or death. At that time, an officer responded with lethal force, by firing his weapon. Three suspects present were injured. One of those persons, a female who was stuck in the abdomen, has been treated and released. A second who was struck in the hand, was transported to UAB for follow up treatment where he is expected to be treated and released. The third, who received injuries to his head and face, was recovering from surgery at ECM at the time of our last update. Immediately after the scene was secured, officers began providing first aid to those injured until medical personnel arrived. All three were then transported to ECM ER.

Ashley Diana Allen (WF) 05/09/1982 35 yr old
7517 County Road 25
Killen, AL 35645

This morning, immediately upon learning of the Officer Involved Shooting, I reached out to District Attorney Chris Connolly. We agreed it would be best to contact Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard and request investigators from Madison County come and conduct the follow up investigation. All members of our department are fully cooperating with this investigation.
Investigators from Madison County are still at the crime scene. Once these investigators complete their investigation into the Officer Involved Shooting, members of our Drug Task Force will execute the search warrant and complete their search.
What can our community expect from the Florence Police Department when these types of situations occur?

Ferlin Devonne Faires (WM) Homeowner 09/12/1956 61 yr old
100 County Road 609
Florence, AL 35634

1. The community can expect that a thorough investigation will be completed and presented to the District Attorney’s office.
2. The community can expect our department to fully cooperate with the investigation.
3. The community can expect a well-trained SWAT team that is fully prepared to respond to situations just like this. Our SWAT team has practiced this type of scenario hundreds of times. Not only does our SWAT team train with particular types of weapons and tactics, but every single training event covers instruction in “decision making.” These guys are trained to rapidly gather and process information and make split second decisions. The members of this team are highly trained, very skilled, exceptional individuals. And we will ensure they continue to be well trained.
4. Additionally, our community can expect our department to continue aggressively enforcing the drug laws of this state. Enforcing drug laws is not necessarily “en vogue” during this day and age. Some people prefer drug treatment, drug intervention, and drug courts. I wholeheartedly agree with all of these strategies. I agree, as long as we all acknowledge that no single strategy can stand alone. By enforcing drug laws, we are also trying to stop the next car burglary, residential burglary, business burglary, robbery, assault, or homicide. If a person has been a victim of any of these crimes, chances are the use of illegal narcotics was either directly or indirectly involved. I agree that we will never “arrest ourselves” out of the drug problem. However, arresting drug offenders is one strategy among many that must be employed in this
5. effort. No single strategy will be successful in addressing the drug abuse problem. It is a collective effort. Drug enforcement is one part of the whole, though no less important.
It is my opinion, that this situation is a reflection of the world we live in today. Police officers are called to respond to dangerous situations and to deal with dangerous people. We will provide all the training we reasonably can so that our folks are prepared for whatever situation they may encounter. We will always be diligent in our efforts to ensure these encounters end as peacefully as possible.
I wish to thank those individuals that have reached out with words of encouragement and the offers of prayer. Prayers are always welcome. I also want to thank Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning and Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard for lending us their investigators.
Finally, I want to express my personal gratitude to the men and women of the Florence Police Department, particularly to those who serve on our SWAT team for their commitment and dedication to the safety and well-being of our community.”

Ron Tyler
Chief of Police
Florence Police Department

 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.