Suspect shoots two officers before being fatally shot in Birmingham, Alabama

A man believed to be responsible for two early morning murders in Birmingham, Alabama, opened fire on four police officers Sunday afternoon, striking two and grazing two others, according to police.

The unnamed assailant was fatally shot by the officers during the incident, and the injuries to all four officers appear to be non-life-threatening, Birmingham Police Spokesperson Rod Mauldin said.

Birmingham Police initially received a call at approximately 6:30 a.m local time about a shooting in a park.

Officers arrived to find a woman lying in the road suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and a man who had also been shot lying on the sidewalk, according to Mauldin.

The woman was rushed to an area hospital where she died from her injuries, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, Mauldin said.

Police received information that the fatal shootings stemmed from an altercation over a dog, and witnesses told police the suspected shooter was “an adult white male, wearing a red shirt and overalls,” Mauldin told reporters on Sunday afternoon.

They then obtained a search warrant for a nearby apartment where they had reason to believe they would find the man responsible for the early morning shootings.

Officers from Birmingham Police Department’s Tactical Operations Precinct arrived at the apartment and “were immediately met by gunfire,” Mauldin said. The officers returned fire, fatally striking the suspect.

Mauldin could not say whether there was anyone else in the apartment at the timing of the shooting, but was confident that the man who fired upon the officers Sunday afternoon was the same man who shot and killed two people early this morning.

“The (initial) altercation that occurred did stem from a dog, but we don’t know the actual reason for the murders this morning,” Mauldin said. “But this individual was responsible for two murders that occurred here.”

The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation will take the lead in the investigation of the officer-involved shooting, according to Mauldin.