Mayor fires 3 officers in fatal shooting of Alabama man during truck repossession

Three Decatur, Alabama, police officers have been fired and a fourth suspended following the fatal shooting of a man as his truck was being repossessed in September, the city’s mayor said Thursday.

Steve Perkins, 39, was fatally shot by police outside his home early Sept. 29, as a tow company attempted to repossess his truck, officials said. Video showed police yelling “get on the ground” almost immediately before they opened fire.

Three officers were fired, and a fourth who was “involved to a lesser degree” was suspended, Mayor Tab Bowling said at a news conference.

“It is now incumbent on us as a city, as people who love Decatur, to work to move forward — and to work to ensure that this tragedy is not forgotten or ignored,” Bowling said.

Decatur police said they were called by the tow company around 1:30 a.m., and a tow driver said they had tried to repossess a truck but after being confronted with someone with a gun they had fled.

Officers and the tow driver then went to Perkins’ home, and Perkins emerged with a handgun, police said.

One officer fired their weapon, police have said.

The officers’ names were not released. The officers have a chance to appeal, Bowling said.

A spokesman for Perkins’ family has said from the neighbors’ security footage that they saw, “it looked like an ambush of him not even knowing who was in his yard.” It’s a dark neighborhood and there were no police cars visible, spokesperson Brenton Lipscomb has said.

Perkins’ family said in a statement that the truck payments were up to date so the truck shouldn’t have been towed.

Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion said he and Bowling shared the news of the termination of the officers with Perkins’ family before the announcement.

Pinion said in November that he believes police policies were violated in the deadly encounter.

“I have expressed my sorrow personally to the family of Mr. Perkins as well as publicly in prior messages, but I reiterate that sentiment here,” Pinion said in a statement Thursday.

Bowling said he “listened intently” to the officers as their individual determination hearings took place earlier this week before making his decision.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is conducting a criminal investigation which is ongoing.

Bowling said there would be a “top to bottom review” of police policies and how information is shared with the public, and will bring in an outside expert to assist in the effort.