Officials search for answers in fatal shooting of Black Alabama homeowner by police

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — City and state officials asked for patience Friday in the investigation of the fatal police shooting of a Black man at his Alabama home, a day after hundreds mourned him at a vigil.

Steve Perkins, 39, was shot and killed by police Sept. 29 at his home in Decatur in what police said began in a confrontation with a tow truck driver trying to repossess a truck.

Decatur police in their initial statement about the shooting said officers accompanied the driver back to the home and shot Perkins after he “turned the gun toward one of the officers.” The state law enforcement agency said Perkins had a gun with a light on it.

Family members have questioned the police account. In home surveillance camera footage published by WAFF, all is quiet until an officer is heard shouting “police, get on the ground.” Shots are then immediately heard being fired in rapid succession. The family said in a statement that the truck was not in repossession, and that Perkins was shot seven times.

Hundreds of people gathered outside of Decatur City Hall on Thursday night in a vigil for Perkins.

”Not only was I his brother, but I was his friend. You have no idea how it feels to be born a protector, and the job is taken away from you, unjustly, and unwarranted,“ he said while holding back tears,” Nicholas Perkins said during the vigil, according to WAFF.

Lee Merritt, an attorney representing the Perkins family told WAAY that the family is looking for answers and accountability. “We believe what’s best for the community, what’s best for transparency, is the rapid release of the evidence involved, indictments,” he told the station. Merritt is a well-known attorney who has represented the families of Black people killed by police.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is investigating the shooting, said Friday that it did not have any additional information to release to the public. The agency said it opened a tip line for information.

“We continue to ask for everyone’s patience as ALEA’s SBI conducts what must be a very thorough and methodical investigation,” the agency said in a statement.

Protests have occurred in the north Alabama city daily since the death.

“The thing that has been consistent is looking for answers. We understand that. That is something everyone wants and they want answers now. Unfortunately, we don’t have control of that,” Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling told news outlets.

Perkins’ neighbor Justin Shepherd told WAFF that he was concerned about how the shooting unfolded based on what was captured on the home surveillance video.

“He was spotlighted from behind, and turned around to see who it was,” he said. “The officers were running at him at yelling, and within a second, he put his hands up, and they started firing.”