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Thread: Grady Wayne Wilkes Sentenced to LWOP in 2019 AL Slaying of Officer William Buechner

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    Grady Wayne Wilkes Sentenced to LWOP in 2019 AL Slaying of Officer William Buechner



    Officer William Buechner





    Suspect captured after Auburn police officer killed, 2 injured in shooting

    By Sam Blum
    AL.com

    UPDATE 7:55 a.m. The suspect is reportedly in custody.

    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.”

    A press conference is expected to be held on Monday afternoon, where police will provide additional details.

    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.

    https://www.al.com/news/2019/05/mass...ots-fired.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    UPDATE: Officer killed in deadly Auburn shooting, two others injured ID’d

    One officer died at East Alabama Medical Center, two others recovering at area hospitals

    By WTVM News

    AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - Three officers involved in a deadly shooting on Wire Rd. in Auburn have been identified.

    Officer William Buechner was tragically shot and killed. Officers Webb Sistrunk and Evan Elliott were both injured.

    Auburn police have arrested a suspect they say killed Buechner and shot Sistrunk and Elliott. Sistrunk is still in the hospital and Elliott has been treated and released.

    Auburn Police spent much of the night looking for Grady Wayne Wilkes, 29. Police say Wilkes opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 3000 block of Wire Rd. just after 10:00 p.m. CST.

    Wilkes has been charged with capital murder, three counts of attempted murder and second-degree domestic violence. He is currently being held in the Lee County Jail.

    Buechner has served with the Auburn Police Department since April 2006. Sistrunk has served since April 2011 and Elliott since July 2018.

    https://www.wtvm.com/2019/05/20/repo...esence-lee-rd/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Slain Alabama police officer identified, death penalty sought for accused killed

    By Greg Norman
    Fox News

    Officials say they intend to pursue the death penalty for the 29-year-old man accused of shooting and killing an Alabama police officer and wounding two others late last night.

    Grady Wayne Wilkes, who was arrested earlier this morning following an intensive manhunt, is accused of murdering veteran Auburn police officer William Buechner when he allegedly opened fire on a group of officers at a trailer park.

    “When you shoot a police officer, we’re going to pursue the death penalty,” Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes told AL.com.

    The officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call when Wilkes – clad in camouflage body armor and a helmet – opened fire, authorities said.

    Officials have not disclosed a possible motive in the incident. When police caught up to Wilkes later with the help of a tip, he reportedly did not resist arrest and is now cooperating with investigators, according to AL.com.

    "This is probably the worst day of my time here and words cannot express the loss for this family, and our family, and this community," Register told reporters earlier Monday.

    A tweet posted on one of Auburn University’s accounts had warned students to stay away from the Arrowhead Mobile Home Park, which is about five miles away from Auburn's campus.

    "I heard six shots, rapid-fire like it was an automatic weapon, and then there was a brief pause, maybe a second, and then three more single shots," a resident at the park, who asked not to be identified.

    Wilkes is now charged with capital murder, three counts of attempted murder and an account of second-degree domestic abuse. He's expected to face a judge in the coming days.

    A woman from Coffee County, located south of Auburn, asked a judge in November for a court order protecting her from alleged abuse by Wilkes, records viewed by the Associated Press show.

    Wilkes, who had an address in the Alabama city of Enterprise at the time, was accused of sexually assaulting the woman while she was incapacitated, and the woman said she feared he would harm her after learning she was pressing charges, according to a court document. She is married to another man.

    The judge refused a protection order following a hearing in January, ruling the woman didn't have a "qualifying relationship" with Wilkes, whom she said she did not know before the alleged assault.

    There is no record of sexual assault charges against Wilkes and records show he has no criminal record in Alabama.

    Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said she is "heartbroken" by the shooting and has called the violence tragic and useless.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/alabama-p...ed-in-shooting
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    President Trump said in a statement last week, for the use of "quick" capital punishment for those who kill law enforcement officers.
    "How do you get drunk on death row?" - Werner Herzog

    "When we get fruit, we get the juice and water. I ferment for a week! It tastes like chalk, it's nasty" - Blaine Keith Milam #999558 Texas Death Row

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    Suspect in Auburn officer’s death appears before judge

    By WSFA News Staff

    LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - The suspect in a weekend shooting that killed one east Alabama police officer and injured two others stood before a judge in his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.

    Grady Wayne Wilkes appeared in Judge Chris Hughes’ courtroom at the Lee County Justice Center for a hearing that lasted approximately 10 minutes.

    Under heavy guard and handcuffed, shackled and dressed in blue, Wilkes listened as the judge read the charges again him; one count of capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, and one count of second-degree domestic violence.

    Wilkes indicated that he understood the charges and Montgomery attorney Bill Whatley was appointed by the court to represent him.

    At least nine sheriff’s deputies were present and standing guard during the proceedings.

    Wilkes was arrested Monday morning after an overnight manhunt. The 29-year-old Alabama National Guard corporal is accused of shooting three police officers who responded to a domestic violence call at an area mobile home park.

    Killed in the shooting was veteran Auburn police officer William Buechner. Wounded were officers Webb Sistrunk and Evan Elliott.

    Following his arrest, Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes confirmed his office would "pursue the death penalty, absolutely.”

    During Tuesday’s hearing, Hughes addressed the facial bruising and cuts that appeared on Wilkes’ mug shot. Authorities had stated during a Monday morning news conference that his arrest was without incident.

    “I do know he spent the night in the woods. He was running through the woods. He was trying to evade capture for many hours in the woods," said Hughes.

    Hughes declined to speak about what happened Sunday night when the officers arrived at the Arrowhead Mobile Home Park on Wire Road.

    “I don’t want to get too in-depth in detail other than a 911 call was made," he said.

    Wilkes was denied bond. No date has been set for a preliminary hearing, and prosecutors believe it will be at least a year before a case is brought to trial.

    WSFA 12 News has reached out to Wilkes’ attorney but has not heard back.

    https://www.wsfa.com/2019/05/21/susp...rt-appearance/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Injured Auburn police officer visited by K9 partner who was with him during shooting

    By Carol Robinson
    AL.com

    One of the Auburn police officers wounded in a Sunday-night shooting that claimed the life of a fellow officer was visited in the hospital Wednesday by his K9 partner Leon.

    Officer Webb Sistrunk remains hospitalized at Piedmont Columbus Regional Medical Center, three days after he took a bullet to the right shoulder. Police officials said Sistrunk’s health is improving and he had been upgraded from the Intensive Care Unit to critical care.

    “The Sistrunk family thanks everyone for their continued prayers for our officer and asks that you keep the Buechner and Elliott families in your prayers as well," Auburn police Capt. Lorenza Dorsey wrote in a statement.

    https://www.al.com/news/2019/05/inju...-shooting.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Moderator Ryan's Avatar
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    Senate passes bill to make killing a first responder a capital crime

    The Alabama Senate passed House Bill 59 Thursday making it a capital crime to murder a first responder in the state of Alabama.

    State Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, said a police officer in his district was killed in the line of duty on Sunday. Whatley asked the Senate to amend the bill to name the bill after fallen Auburn Police Officer William Buechner, who will be laid to rest on Friday.

    State Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said that while he feels for the family of the officer and he should not have been killed, he wishes someone would come to the mic to remember when the police kill someone.

    House Bill 59 is sponsored by State Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville.

    HB59 passed the Senate after a very quick debate. The change in the law, if signed into law, would make it an aggravating circumstance if a murder victim was a law enforcement or correctional officer, first responder or was under 14 years of age.

    Murdering a law enforcement officer was already a capital crime. This would add ambulance drivers, firefighters and paramedics to the capital crimes list.

    The district attorney is able to seek the death penalty in a capital murder.

    “If you shoot a police officer, we’re going to pursue the death penalty,” said Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes on Monday, referring to his decision to seek the death penalty for 29-year-old Grady Wayne Wilkes.

    The bill had been passed by the House well before Buechner’s death, so the bill will have to go back to the House because of Whatley’s amendment.

    https://www.alreporter.com/2019/05/2...capital-crime/
    "How do you get drunk on death row?" - Werner Herzog

    "When we get fruit, we get the juice and water. I ferment for a week! It tastes like chalk, it's nasty" - Blaine Keith Milam #999558 Texas Death Row

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    Alabama officer hurt in shooting that killed 1 improving

    By Fox 10 News

    AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama police officer who was seriously wounded in a shooting that killed another officer is improving, officials said Wednesday as they made plans to remember the fallen man.

    Officer Webb Sistrunk has been moved into critical care at a hospital in Columbus, Georgia, according to a statement released by the Auburn Police Division. The change was an improvement because Sistrunk had been in intensive care.

    Sistrunk and two other officers were shot at a mobile home park in Auburn on Sunday night. Officer William Buechner was killed, and another officer suffered a less severe wound.

    Grady Wayne Wilkes, 29, is jailed on charges including capital murder and attempted murder in the shootings. Wilkes, who leads an infantry combat team with the Alabama National Guard, is being held without bail.

    The statement relayed by police from Piedmont Columbus Hospital said Sistrunk was shot in the right shoulder. He will continue to undergo a number of medical procedures, it said.

    Sistrunk is a canine officer, and he received a visit in the hospital from his dog partner, Leon. The animal was at the scene of the shooting, but wasn't injured.

    "It's really good. He's my best friend," Sistrunk said in a video released by the hospital.

    Meanwhile, the city of Auburn said Buechner's funeral would be held Friday afternoon at the Auburn Arena.

    Court documents show officers were called to a mobile home park Sunday night by a woman who identified Wilkes as her live-in boyfriend and the father of her child. Meeting with officers away from their home, she said the man had threatened to kill her, according to the complaint.

    The shooting began after police went to the couple's trailer.

    "Officers knocked on the door and Wilkes answered the door wearing body armor and was armed with a rifle. After Wilkes opened the door he immediately began firing at the officers," the document said.

    An attorney appointed to represent Wilkes, William Whatley, declined comment.

    http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/us-...-1-improving-1
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Officers-shot case heads to grand jury

    By Sara Palczewski
    Opelika Auburn News

    The case of the capital murder suspect in the shooting of Auburn police officers, killing one and injuring two, is headed to a Lee County grand jury.

    Grady Wayne Wilkes, 29, of Auburn, did not request a preliminary hearing, causing his case to move forward to the grand jury, according to court documents obtained Monday by the Opelika-Auburn News.

    Wilkes is charged with the May 19 shooting that killed Officer William Buechner and injured Officer Webb Sistrunk and Officer Evan Elliott.

    Defendants in the state of Alabama have 30 days after their arrest to request a preliminary hearing, according to Alabama law.

    There is no timetable for when Wilkes’ case will be presented to a grand jury.

    Wilkes was arrested May 20 and is charged with capital murder of a law enforcement officer, three counts of attempted murder and second-degree domestic violence (strangulation/suffocation).

    Wilkes was denied bond by Judge Christopher Hughes in May. He remains in the Lee County Jail.

    Wilkes is represented by William Whatley. Whatley filed for Juliana Taylor to be co-counsel to Wilkes on June 30, according to court documents.

    https://www.oanow.com/news/auburn/of...ae1908db8.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  10. #10
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    Grand jury gets case of Alabama Guard soldier charged with killing a police officer

    By Associated Press

    AUBURN, Ala. — A grand jury will review evidence in the case of an Alabama soldier charged with killing a police officer and wounding two others.

    The Opelika-Auburn News reports court records show 29-year-old Grady Wayne Wilkes didn’t request a preliminary hearing, sending the case to the grand jury.

    Wilkes is charged with capital murder and attempted murder in the May shooting that killed Auburn police Officer William Buechner and wounded officers Webb Sistrunk and Evan Elliott.

    Court documents say the officers were responding to the call of a woman who said her live-in boyfriend had threatened to kill her.

    The shooting started when officers knocked on the door. Wilkes, who led a combat infantry team with the Alabama National Guard, wore body armor and greeted them with a rifle.

    https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-...olice-officer/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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