UPDATE 11 a.m. Auburn police are providing more information on the case.
Officials are identifying the fallen officer as William Buechner. He is a 13-year veteran of the department, Chief Paul Register said.
The injured officers were identified as Officers Webb Sistrunk and Evan Elliott. Sistrunk is a seven-year veteran of the department. Elliott has been with the department since July 2018.
UPDATE 7:55 a.m.: The suspect is reportedly in custody and the alert from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has been canceled.
Original article continues below:
One Auburn police officer was killed and two others were wounded late Sunday night as they responded to a domestic disturbance.
The three officers were shot late Sunday night at a mobile home park in Auburn and a manhunt is underway for a suspect wearing body armor.
Auburn police held a press conference at 5:12 a.m., when they announced the suspect, Grady Wayne Wilkes, 29, is still at large. He is believed to be in Auburn area. He is “armed and definitely considered dangerous.” Police are telling people to stay out of the area near the 3000 block of Wire Road, where the shooting occurred.
“At approximately 10:40 PM Sunday night, Auburn Police responded to a domestic disturbance call in a mobile home park in the 3000 block of Wire Road,” a statement from Lee County coroner Bill Harris read.
“When officers arrived a suspect opened fire on the officers, striking three of them. Two of the officers suffered critical injuries and one suffered non-life threatening injuries. One officer was air lifted to a Columbus, GA hospital. The other two were transported via ground ambulance to East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika where one of those officers died from his injuries. The names of the officers are not being released at this time pending notification of all family members and all of the police family.”
Many of the details of the shooting were withheld, including the weapon used, or the nature of the domestic dispute that led to the officers being called.
It is unclear if officers were able to return fire.
“This is probably the worst day of my time here,” said Auburn Chief of Police Paul Register. “Words cannot express the loss of this family, and our family, and this community.”
Harris said the State Bureau of Investigation has been brought in to investigate the shooting.
Auburn police officers responded about 10:10 p.m. Sunday to a domestic disturbance at a residence located in the 3000 Block of Wire Road, according to a police statement issued early Monday morning.
Once on the scene, officers were met with gunfire. No one else was injured.
Law enforcement officers began a manhunt for the suspect. Wilkes is described as being white, 6-feet-4-inches tall, 215 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and was last seen wearing shorts, according to the statement.
Police said he was not known to law enforcement previously.
An order of protection was requested by a 28-year-old female in January against Wilkes, according to court documents obtained by AL.com. She accused Wilkes of rape. Charges were not filed against Wilkes and the order of protection was not granted.
“They didn’t really keep us in the loop during the investigation,” the victim’s husband told AL.com, “so we only found out that they didn’t decide to press charges because the prosecution didn’t feel comfortable or confident enough to get a conviction.”
Helicopters, dozens of police agencies and canine dog units are assisting in the manhunt. Roads and schools are not expected to be closed in Auburn.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency also issued this statement: “The State of Alabama has issued an Emergency BLUE Alert. The Auburn Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency ask for your assistance in locating Grady Wayne Wilkes. Wilkes is a white male, 6’4”, 215 pounds, and is believed to be a serious risk to the public. Wilkes was last seen wearing camo clothing with body armor and a helmet at Arrow Head Trailer Park in Auburn, Alabama around 11:30 pm on May 19, 2019. If you have any information regarding Wilkes, please contact the Auburn Police Department at 334-501-3100 or call 911.”
Residents at the Auburn mobile home park heard multiple gunshots and were told to shelter in place by authorities late Sunday night as dozens of law enforcement officials flooded the community, oanow.com reports.
Police have set up a command center at the Auburn Soccer Complex as reporters are awaiting for information about the shooting.
The university is warning students to stay away from the area.
AL.com news reporter Carol Robinson contributed to this report
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