Suspect Accused Of Shooting At Police Captured In Atlanta

BIRMINGHAM, AL - A manhunt that began in Ensley Sunday ended in Atlanta Tuesday night, as U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task, working with Birmingham police and the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, captured Cornelius Williams Jr. in Atlanta and charged him with four counts of attempted murder, two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of certain persons prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The saga began Sunday when an off-duty officer reported shots fired in the 400 block of Ninth Street West. West Precinct officers responded to the area and encountered a suspect leaving the area at a high rate of speed. That suspect, accused also of shooting his father, fired at the officers upon trying to escape the officers, reports say.

A report by Alabama Media Group said the BPD officers saw the suspect's car stop in the 500 block of Ninth Street West and the suspect exited his vehicle with a rifle. The suspect began to fire at officers and one of the officers managed to return gunfire before the suspect managed to flee the scene.

Police Sgt. Johnny Williams said there was gunfire damage to two patrol cars but no injuries to officers. Police later learned a victim had sustained injuries in the 400 block of Ninth Street West. That victim was taken to the hospital and was listed in stable condition. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

Birmingham investigators then learned that Williams was headed to Atlanta. They enlisted the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, which reached out to its counterpart in Georgia. The Atlanta marshals began canvassing hotels and other areas in metro Atlanta when they spotted the suspect's vehicle in the College Park area. After brief surveillance, Williams was taken into custody without incident. He is being held in Georgia awaiting return to Birmingham.

Photo via U.S. Marshals