3 shot, including officer, in Montgomery; 1 dead

A police officer Wednesday shot and killed an "armed suspect" in west Montgomery.

Three people were shot in the area, including a police officer who sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

An unknown number of officers responded to the 1600 block of Westcott Street on a subject shot call Wednesday afternoon when they encountered a "fleeing, armed suspect" near the Hill and Jordan streets, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Martha Earnhardt said in an emailed statement.

"As a result of that encounter, a Montgomery Police officer sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and the suspect was fatally wounded. Because this is an officer-involved shooting, the State Bureau of Investigation is investigating, pursuant to MPD protocol," Earnhardt said.

Mayor Todd Strange was also on the scene.

The subject of the original subject shot call, an adult male, is in serious condition.

Ethel Dillard, 62, told the Advertiser she was in her nearby home when she heard the “pow, pow, pow” of gunshots. Dillard estimated she heard 15 to 20 shots fired over a period of 10 to 15 minutes.

There have been gunshots the last three nights, Dillard said, but it is normally abnormal to hear gunfire near her home.

Dillard said people in the area are afraid to call police when an incident does occur, because it will be known that they talked to police.

“I can’t call. I’m scared to call,” she said.

Recently, a gun was pulled on her grandson while he was walking, and Dillard said she believes the area needs a heavier police presence or a precinct nearby to combat the recent increase in crime that she and others have noticed.