Birmingham Officer Shot By Gunman; Officer Not Wearing Vest

Birmingham, AL – A suspect is on the loose after shooting a Birmingham police officer on Sunday.

The incident started when the officer was working off-duty security at Church of the Highlands, according to Chief Patrick Smith.

A call got dispatched for a robbery in-progress nearby, and the off-duty officer responded.

When he arrived, at least one gunman shot him twice in his abdomen and once under his arm. The officer was not wearing a ballistic vest.

It’s unknown if the officer was able to return fire.

Police tracked cell phones stolen in the robbery and were able to arrest one suspect and recover a handgun. A second suspect remains on the run.

The unidentified officer is in surgery at UAB hospital in critical condition.

“Between last year and the year before, we took like 4,000 handguns off the street, and in most of those incidents we did so very safely. There is always that one time, one moment you know, where things like this happen. So we just have to do more to be prepared, do more as far as our training, and do more to make sure our officers are completely alert and aware of what is happening,” Chief Smith said.

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