A Huntsville Police officer shot in the line of duty died Tuesday night, while a second officer remains hospitalized in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
The officers were shot after responding to a “shots fired” call at a Huntsville apartment complex. Attorney General Steve Marshall, in a press release, identified the officer killed as Garrett Crumby, and his critically injured partner as Albert Morin.
In the release, Marshall called the shooting an “ambush” by an assailant who had already shot a female victim.
“This is a devastating loss for our department, the Huntsville community and the State of Alabama,” HPD chief Kirk Giles said. “We send our heartfelt condolences to the officer’s family as they mourn their loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The shooting occurred at the Governors House Apartment complex in Huntsville, after Crumby and Morin responded to a report of shots fired around 4:45 Tuesday afternoon. Once on the scene, HPD said the officers located a female victim seriously injured from a gunshot wound.
At some point thereafter, the officers were allegedly shot by Juan Robert Laws, 24, who then fled the scene. He was apprehended a little after 6 p.m. and transported to Huntsville Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Laws was booked on a charge of capital murder of a law enforcement officer.
The female victim, who has not been identified, also was treated at Huntsville Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
“This is a painful night for the City of Huntsville and for our police family,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said in a statement. “We are heartbroken. Words cannot express our loss. We have been overwhelmed by the show of love and support from our community, and we stand united with our police officers and their families in this tragic moment.”
Crumby had been with HPD since 2020, after spending eight years with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. He is the first Alabama officer killed in the line of duty this year.
