Sheffield Police Chief Rick Terry released a statement Saturday saying Sgt. Nick Risner "performed a heroic act" when he protected the Shoals community from entering a Walmart parking lot and putting even more lives in danger.
Â鶹Çø spoke with a Walmart employee who was in the parking lot and witnessed the deadly shootout Friday that led to Risner's death Saturday. Risner had been one of several law enforcement officers to take part in the car chase and gunfire exchange, but he was one of only two that was hit by a bullet and the only one to die from his injuries.
Brandon Staggs said he had been heading back into work at Walmart when he heard the gunshots and realized someone was shooting close by. He said he was in shock.
“It’s not like you see on TV," Staggs said. "You don’t go running; you freeze."
Staggs said the Walmart parking lot was full, and everyone was in pure disbelief.
"I froze right when it happened," he said. "Our customers froze right when it happened. You’re just staring, and you’re trying to convince yourself you’re not seeing what you’re seeing."
"Because I saw the police cars and I saw the smoke, but I’m thinking, ‘Oh a car is on fire'; you’re thinking, ‘Oh a firework’s gone off.’ You’re doing all these things, trying to convince yourself you’re not seeing what you’re actually seeing,†he said.
But his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Staggs was actually witnessing multiple shots being fired, right next to where he works.
“I could see them ducking and weaving," he said. "... And then you could just see the smoke, and you could see the ricochets coming off the mall over here."
Staggs said he will forever be grateful for the officers' heroic efforts. He feared what would have happened if the shooter got any closer.
“They stopped him 100 feet from Walmart," Staggs said. "You know, what would have happened if he would have gotten there and done something terrible? We really owe a debt of gratitude to Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and all the surrounding police. I don’t know what we’d do without them."
Authorities would later identify the shooting suspect as Brian Lansing Martin of Sheffield. According to Muscle Shoals Police Department, Martin was riding in a car with William Clare Mealback Jr. when eyewitnesses say the two got into an argument. Martin then shot Mealback in the head and chest, pushed him from the vehicle onto Avalon Avenue and left the scene.
He was later spotted in a stolen vehicle by Sheffield Police and chased back into Muscle Shoals, where he and officers from multiple agencies exchanged gunfire. Martin was shot and taken to Huntsville Hospital, where he was reportedly in stable condition as of Friday evening.Â
