A former Alabama State Trooper has shot the district attorney for Alabama’s 17th Judicial Circuit, Greg Griggers, directly in the face, in what is being described as an ambush attack. Griggers is expected to survive. The shooter, Steven Smith, Jr., was killed by law enforcement personnel who responded to the scene.
During the press conference, Alabama State Bureau of Investigation Capt. Jason Roberts said the suspect opened fire on Griggers “ambush-style” as he was in his vehicle on his way back from having lunch with several other law enforcement officers. The incident happened about 1 p.m.
Jackson said the shooter has been identified as Steven Smith, Jr., a former state trooper who was previously questioned in connection with a 1996 incident in which someone used a shotgun to shoot up the home of Sumter County Circuit Judge Eddie Hardaway, the first black judge to preside over Sumter, Marengo and Greene counties.
Griggers is a Democrat. According to a CBS news report,
First appointed to the position in 2003 and re-elected since, Griggers is the chief prosecutor for Marengo, Greene, and Sumter counties along the Mississippi state line.
The chief federal prosecutor for north Alabama, U.S. Attorney Jay Town of Birmingham, called Griggers a "dedicated public servant and an honorable man."
"This serves as yet another reminder of the perils and dangers that law enforcement at every level face daily," Town said.
There is doubtless more to this story — still very little on the shooter’s motivation for one thing. Whether or not this is related to Griggers political affiliation is not known and may never be known, but it is troubling at a time when political rhetoric on the right is heating up following the midterms. Griggers is expected to make a full recovery.
Update: More details at this link.
Roberts said the shooting took place around 12:45 p.m. on the main street in Demopolis, Marengo County’s biggest city. Griggers and the officers had returned to his office after eating at a nearby café.
The Tuscaloosa News reported that as Griggers opened the door of his truck to exit it, Smith began firing at him with a shotgun from across the street. The two officers with the district attorney fired back, killing the 60-year-old former trooper.
Griggers, 52, was struck in the face, WVTM 13 News in Birmingham reported. His wounds were minor and he was treated and released from a hospital.