‘Superhero’ Alabama Cop Killed in Shootout with Murder Suspect

An Alabama police sergeant described as a “superhero” died after being shot by a murder suspect last Friday. The shooting took place behind a Walmart following a pursuit.

Brian Lansing Martin, 41, shot and killed a motorist during an apparent carjacking in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on Friday afternoon, according to police. In nearby Sheffield, Alabama, police Sgt. Nick Risner and Lt. Max Dotson spotted the stolen vehicle and began a pursuit, WHNT CBS9 reported.

The two Sheffield police officers attempted to stop the vehicle but Martin failed to yield and led the officers on a pursuit that ended back in a Muscle Shoals Walmart parking lot. As the officers confronted Martin at the rear of the Walmart store, Lt. Dotson called out on the radio, “Shots fired! I’ve been hit! I’ve been hit!”

Sheffield Police Chief Rick Terry told reporters that Martin shot Sgt. Risner through the windshield, Fox 54 reported. An air ambulance transported Risner to a Huntsville, Alabama, hospital where he died from his wounds the following day.

“Sgt. Risner performed a heroic act by protecting the Shoal’s Community from the shooter from entering the Walmart parking lot,” Chief Terry said in a written statement. “If the shooter would have entered the Walmart parking lot, there is no telling how many lives would have been endangered or lost.”

Lt. Dotson’s ballistic vest stopped the bullet and saved his life.

Return fire struck Martin who was also taken to a Huntsville hospital. He is now in police custody pending charges for the death of Sgt. Risner and the assault on Lt. Dotson.

Court records revealed Martin has a criminal history that includes a manslaughter conviction in 2013. The court sentenced him to ten years in prison but he was released in 2016.

“This incident should have never happened because a coward who should still be in prison was walking the streets,” Chief Terry continued. “The justice system failed not only Sgt. Nick Risner, but his family and everyone who has been affected by his passing.”

One of those affected by Risner’s murder is local resident Emma Gregory who described the sergeant as a “superhero” saying that he saved her life when she attempted suicide. Risner found the young woman on a bridge, WAAY ABC31 reported.

“I saw him as invincible. He was my literal superhero,” the young woman explained. “Until his last dying breath, he protected and he served, and he loved.”

Risner served our nation in the Army Reserve and the community of Sheffield as a K-9 officer for nine years, police officials stated.

Sgt. Risner will be laid to rest on Friday, Fox 54 reported. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey orders the state’s flags lowered to half staff on that day to honor the slain police officer.