A quiet Tuesday night in Huntsville, Alabama was suddenly and tragically disturbed when a call for assistance went out from a local apartment complex.
Garrett Crumby and Albert Morin, two veterans of the Huntsville Police Department, responded to the call for help and quickly located the victim of a shooting. While attending to the wounded woman, described as being in her early 20s and accompanied by two small children, an armed man ambushed them.
The officers were critically injured and rushed to Huntsville Hospital for emergency surgery. Officer Crumby sadly succumbed to his injuries, and Officer Morin remains in critical condition fighting for his life.
The shooter, Juan Robert Laws, 24, was apprehended shortly after and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He has since been booked in the Madison County Jail with the charge of capital murder of a law enforcement officer.
State Attorney General Steve Marshall commended the efforts of the fallen and injured officers, before Huntsville Police Chief Kirk Giles expressed his condolences to the family of Officer Crumby and asked for prayers for Officer Morin.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle echoed these sentiments and highlighted the incredible display of support from the community.
Tonight, Huntsville PD Sheriff’s Department will be escorting the body of Officer Crumby to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Huntsville. The autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning, with the investigation being supervised by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.