Suspect indicted in shooting of 2 Shelby County deputies during welfare check

THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON. I’M GUY RAWLINGS AND I’M SHERI FALK. ALL OF THIS TAKING PLACE IN THE MEADOWBROOK NEIGHBORHOOD EARLIER TODAY. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AT A HOME ON BRANFORD PLACE FOR DEPUTIES WERE CALLED TO THE HOME TO CHECK OUT THE SITUATION. THE HOMEOWNERS WERE CONCERNED THEIR ADULT SON MAY HAVE BEEN INSIDE AND WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. OUR CREWS ARE LIVE NEAR THE SCENE AND AT UAB HOSPITAL WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION. WVTM 13 IS MAGDALA LOUISSAINT IN SHELBY COUNTY. SHE’S BEEN ON THE SCENE SINCE THE FIRST LEARNED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. SO TAKE US THROUGH IT. MAGDALA. WELL, A GUY, SHERI, WE’VE BEEN OUT HERE SINCE AROUND 11:00 THIS MORNING, BUT THE CALL CAME IN FOR SHELBY COUNTY DEPUTIES AT 930. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE TWO. THE EVIDENCE MARKERS THAT STILL LIE HERE ON THE FLOOR AND JUST DOWN THE SIDE, DOWN THE HILL HERE ON THE SIDE OF THIS HOME, YOU CAN SEE INVESTIGATORS STILL HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT TOOK PLACE HERE. BUT A WELFARE CHECK BROUGHT THE DEPUTIES TIER TO BRADFORD PLACE WHEN THEY WENT INSIDE THE HOME, THEY ENCOUNTERED A MAN IN THERE. NOW, THE SHERIFF SAYS THIS MORNING THEY GOT A CALL FROM THE HOMEOWNER ASKING THEM TO DO A WELFARE CHECK BECAUSE THEY SUSPECTED THEIR ADULT SON WOULD BREAK INTO THEIR HOME. WHEN DEPUTIES GOT THERE, THEY SAY THE THEY SAW THE BACK DOOR HAD BEEN BROKEN INTO. THE OFFICERS WENT INSIDE WITH PERMISSION FROM THE HOMEOWNER WHILE CHECKING OUT THE SCENE. THE SHERIFF SAYS THE MAN SHOT AT THE DEPUTIES WITH NO WARNING. TWO OF THE FOUR DEPUTIES GOT HIT FIRST. THEY GOT THEIR FELLOW OFFICERS OUT OF HARM’S WAY AND THEN THEY HANDLED THE SITUATION AND GOT THE SUSPECT IN CUSTODY. AND THEN AFTER THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY DID THEIR JOB. WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT OUR DEPUTY HAD HAD RETURNED FIRE, THEN AT THAT POINT, WE WANT YOU KNOW, WE WANT ANOTHER AGENCY TO TAKE THE INVESTIGATION. SO JUST TO BE TRANSPARENT HERE. AND SO AT THIS TIME, WE STILL DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF THE SUSPECT. BUT WITHIN THE LAST 20 MINUTES OR SO, WE HAVE LEARNED HIS AGE. HE IS 31 YEARS OLD. HE IS CURRENTLY SITTING IN THE SHELBY COUNTY JAIL WITH NO INJURIES. AS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE AROUND HERE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE THIS WAS JUST AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. WE’RE LIVE IN SHELBY COUNTY, A MAGDALA LOUISSAINT WVTM 13. WE LEARNED BOTH DEPUTIES WERE RUSHED TO UAB HOSPITAL MOMENTS AFTER BEING INITIALLY TREATED ON THE SCENE FOR THEIR INJURIES. AND THAT’S WHERE WVTM 13 GLADYS BATISTE IS NOW. GLADYS, ARE THESE DEPUTIES EXPECTED TO BE OKAY. YEAH, SHERRI, THEY ARE. AND THAT’S COMING AS A RELIEF TO THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT. BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THERE WAS A RUSH TO GET THOSE DEPUTIES TREATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE KNOW THAT WHEN EMTS INITIALLY ARRIVED AT THE SCENE ON BRADFORD PLACE IN SHELBY COUNTY, THOSE TWO DEPUTIES WERE TREATED IN THE ROADWAY BEFORE BEING TRANSPORTED ADHERE TO UAB HOSPITAL. YOU CAN SEE INVESTIGATORS TAKING PICTURES OF THOSE DEPUTIES, SHIRTS AND VESTS ON THE GROUND. THE DRIVE TO THE HOSPITAL IS ABOUT TEN MILES. SO THEY WERE TRANSPORTED HERE BY POLICE ESCORT. THAT DRIVE TAKING ABOUT 25 MINUTES. IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO BE TREATED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THEY DRIVE HERE. HERE IS WHAT SHELBY COUNTY SHERIFF JOHN SAMANIEGO TOLD US ABOUT THEIR CONDITION. BOTH OF THEM ARE BEING TREATED. THE GOOD NEWS IS IT DOESN’T APPEAR TO BE ANY KIND OF SERIOUS INJURIES ON EITHER ONE OF THEM, HOWEVER. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO GUNSHOT WOUNDS. SO. SO THEY’RE BEING TAKEN CARE OF THERE. NOW, WE SPENT MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON TODAY NEAR THE SCENE OF THAT SHOOTING. AND WHILE NO ONE WHO LIVED IN THE AREA WANTED TO SPEAK TO US ON CAMERA, THEY DO SAY THAT THAT IS NOT USUAL FOR THEIR AREA AND THAT THEY WILL BE MORE VIGILANT GOING FORWARD. WELL, I BET YOU WOULD BE HOSPIT