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Over Four Months Later: FDLE Investigation Into Atmore Police Shooting Continues

October 8, 2009

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has not yet completed its investigation into the death of an Atmore man shot by Atmore Police near Walnut Hill about four and a half months ago.

Danny Ray Williams, 33, died May 25 from wounds he received when he was shot by Atmore Police early Sunday morning, May 24 in Walnut Hill. Atmore Police said Williams was seen leaving the scene of a shots fired call in Atmore when they gave chase. That chase came to an end on Highway 97 just south of Kansas Road when officers fired on Williams’ car after they say he attempted to run over them.

“It is still an active and ongoing investigation,” Mike Morrison, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, told NorthEscambia.com Wednesday afternoon. “We are getting closer.”

Morrison said he expects the investigation to continue to progress, with the final FDLE report set to be turned over to the State Attorney’s Office for review.

“Every investigation is different, and it’s hard to a put a time frame on one,” he said. “We try to be as thorough as we can.”

Once the FDLE investigation into the officer-involved shooting is complete, the FDLE will not provide any details on the case until the State Attorney’s Office completes their review, Morrison said. “They make the call if it was justified or not, the legal determinations.”

Williams was shot by Atmore police officers following a high speed chase that started in Atmore and ended in Walnut Hill just south of Kansas Road about 1:45 a.m. on May 24.

Atmore Public Safety Directory Glen Carlee said the chase began after a reported shots fired incident near Ashley Street and Jones Street, a location about three miles driving distance from the Florida line. Officers say they spotted the Nissan Altima driven by Williams leaving the area of the shots fired call. That’s when the chase began that eventually crossed the state line into Florida. Carlee said Williams apparently tried to hit an Atmore Police Department cruiser head-on.

Once he stopped and officers approached the car with weapons drawn, Carlee says Williams accelerated toward an officer in an attempt to hit him. That prompted at least two officers to fire at Williams. Florida authorities told NorthEscambia.com at the scene that Williams had been shot at least once in the head.

For a complete gallery of exclusive photos from the scene and inside the car that you will see only on NorthEscambia.com, click here.

For a statement on the shooting released May 25 by the Atmore Police Department, click here.

For NorthEscambia.com’s original story on the shooting, click here.

Pictured above and below: The scene of a shooting involving an Atmore Police Department officer early May 24 in Walnut Hill. Pictured middle: Crime scene investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement work to recover evidence inside the car. Pictured bottom: FDLE investigators returned to the scene four days after the shooting. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

7 Responses to “Over Four Months Later: FDLE Investigation Into Atmore Police Shooting Continues”

andie on October 15th, 2009 3:07 pm

If they are saying that he was trying to run them over why was he shot in the BACK of the head???????
JJ on October 13th, 2009 1:28 pm

It seems the biggest issue here would actually be the lack of Florida police involvement, as far as the public knows. Once he crossed the state line, they were, technically, out of jurisdiction. I know the different departments try to work together, which they should, but this case shows a good reason for us to have officers actually stationed in or around Walnut Hill, instead of an empty substation. We all know that Escambia County(FL) does what they can, but we still need more. Not to seem critical, either, but the police involved did what they deemed necessary, and that’s what the taxpayers pay them for, but they will receive a punishment if they are determined to have been out of line, which will also open up the way for possible civil suits, as well.
Judy on October 9th, 2009 10:46 pm

The picture of the car in the mud is where the car ended up after he was told to stop and he DIDN’T. When people are in the wrong they run, they hide and they lie!! Thank-you to all of our police officer that put their lives in danger everyday to protect us. May God Bless and Protect each Officer
Billy on October 9th, 2009 5:29 pm

Do you know that the car was stuck in the mud before the shots were fired? Maybe the officer shot the suspect while the car was still moving and the mud is what stopped the car. I don’t know what happened but i’m not so biased to pass judgement on someone’s actions who was placed in that situation. The dead man put the officers in that situation….not the other way around. Some people act like the officer’s got together and said “lets go try to chase someone so that we can shoot them.” That’s STUPID.
george on October 9th, 2009 1:24 pm

it is very clear the car is buried in mud look at the pictures no way the car could have any traction this is a case of unnecessarily taking of a human life,it is murder some one will half to answer to thou shell not kill.
Billy on October 9th, 2009 10:01 am

It doesn’t matter where you kill someone or where you are from. If you are in fear for your life, you have the right to kill someone and the government should never take that way. If I have to make a choice between my life and yours……I pick mine.
muns1992 on October 9th, 2009 12:06 am

I cain’t believe there areno comments on this one. It is still hard to believe this happened the way it did. Alabama police killing a man in Fl.? What makes this legal?

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News