Birmingham Police Arrest Man Suspected of Killing Police Sergeant
The man suspected of killing Birmingham Police Sgt. Wytasha Carter last month was arrested Thursday as he was released from rehab.
Jeremy Owens, 31, had been in medical facilities since Jan. 13. He was wounded the same night police say he shot and killed Sgt. Carter. Officer Lucas Allums was also shot in the incident. He and Sgt. Carter were investigating vehicle burglaries near a downtown club when they encountered Owens and another man, police say.
Owens was charged with capital murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith announced the arrest at the North Precinct, standing beneath a sign that reads: “Rule #1. Everyone goes home.”
Smith said officers placed Sgt. Carter’s handcuffs on Owens to take him in.
“I only thought that it was fitting, that if this man was going to jail, we’re going to use Sgt. Carter’s handcuffs,” Smith said.
Carter was 44. He had served at the Birmingham Police Department since 2011. In addition to his work as a sergeant in the North Precinct, he worked previously as an officer in the West Precinct and as a school resource officer.
Later Thursday, police arrested 18-year-old Michael Todd in connection with the incident. Todd was charged with receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Smith applauded the investigation by Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and his staff. He said Carr assembled all of the pieces to ensure a thorough investigation.
Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?
Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer
The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.
Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature
This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.
Alabama’s racial, ethnic health disparities are ‘more severe’ than other states, report says
Data from the Commonwealth Fund show that the quality of care people receive and their health outcomes worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
