9:21 PM Enterprise Police Chief Moore Holds Morning Press Conference

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 3440

Posted by: RStokes
[email protected]
3347901729
Date: Oct 06 2022 10:01 PM

ENTERPRISE:     9:21 PM    This morning Enterprise Police Chief Moore held a press conference with Enterprise Mayor Cooper by his side.

Chief Moore said last evening at 7:15 PM Enterprise Police 911 received multiple 911 calls of a firearm assault at WalMart in Enterprise.

Within 2 minutes of the calls hitting the 911 lines of Enterprise Police Department officers were on the scene. The first officer to arrive did as trained and entered WalMart to the place where the firearm assault took place. Officers are no longer to wait for other officers, they are trained to confront the situation immediately.

The shooter, and others in the store had immediately initiated CPR on the victim attempting to save his life. 

Enterprise Fire - Rescue, Enterprise Rescue responded and as soon as the scene was declared safe they entered the scene and began assisiting with CPR and administering medications. The shooting victim did not survive the injuries.

Enterprise Police Criminal Investigation Division immediately initiated their investigation.

Chief Moore stated that a vehicle cut off another vehicle as they entered the parking lot of WalMart. The preliminary investigation reveals there was a verbal altercation in the parking lot between the two individuals. That altercation continuned inside the store.

In the store near the pharmacy area of WalMart. The verbal altercation continued and then escalated when one of the persons , who was armed with a knife, threatended the other individual who was armed with a firearm.

The person with the firearm was handicapped with a recent injury and arm in a sling. Upon being threatened with the knife the man pulled his firearm in self defense and fired multiple rounds in to the man with the knife who was alledged to be threatening him.

The firearm assault resulted in the death of 43 year old Richard Matthew Smith, age 43, of New Brockton. 

Enterprise Police Criminal Investigators have obtained witness statements and evidence supporting the witness account of the shooting. Chief Moore said the shooting may fall inder Alabama Code 13A-3-23 self defense law.

The Enterprise Police Department Command Staff and Criminal Investigators have been in constant contact with the District Attorney of the 12th Judicial Circuit for Coffee and Pike County during this investigation. The investigation is on going. WalMart is cooperating with the Enterprise Police Department.

Enterprise Mayor Cooper was in Walmart and heard the gunfire.

Enterprise Police Chief Moore thanked the men and women of Enterprise Police Department for their quick and speedy response. First with the 911 calls taken, information obtained and quickly dispatched to law enforcement officers. The information taken by these 911 dispatchers enable the responding officers to know what they are encountering and where to focus their response.

The first officer who arrived who followed his training. Rush and confront the situation. Do not wait as you have seen in other parts of the country, confront and end the threat.

To the assisting agency, Coffee County Sheriff Dave Sutton and the men and women of Coffee County Sheriff Department, ALEA - Troopers, ALEA - State Bureau of Investigation, surrounding agencies who responded or who were on stand by to respond.

Chief Moore thanked Enterprise Fire - Rescue and Enterprise Rescue for their quick and rapid response and professionalism to care for the wounded and patients who suffered injuries.

Chief Moore also thanked all of the agencies who were willing and on stand by with manpower ready and willing to respond.

Chief Moore expressed his sincere and deep feelings to the families of all involved. A tragic end to a situation where cooler heads should have prevailed.

This investigation is not complete. When completed the report will be turned over to the 12th Judicial Circuit District Attorney.

TO ENTERPRISE POLICE CHIEF MOORE, AND ALL INVOLVED... the first area of contact is when that phone rings in the 911 Center. The men and women in these centers are the key to successful operations. The zeal and intelligence they bring to the job each and every day, the dedication and the information they get allows the officers responding to be able to be aware of what situation they are entering and what areas to focus. The 911 dispatchers are the center focus point of all operations.

Next to the first Enterprise Police Officer who arrived on the scene, alone. That officer did not wait, but he charged the situation in order to protect lives. Backup officers were arriving within seconds. But the primary officer placed  his or her life on the line in order to save others.

The fire and EMS units who went into immediate action attempting to save lives and treating patients on the scene. But as they were on this scene other emergency calls for EMS were coming in which required emergency medical response. And they were each handled.

Because the call hit as an active gunman and not knowing how many victims, the medical facilities who were on stand by and ready to take patients.

As Chief Moore explained, when emergencies happen, there are a tremendous amount of components which come together for a successful outcome.

Unfortunately in this case someone lost their lives. But the emergency system for the City of Enterprise worked as designed.

<- back