Deputy Sheriff Samuel Lewis Williams

Samuel Lewis Williams

Deputy Sheriff Samuel Williams was shot and fatally wounded when he attempted to arrest a man at his home near downtown Birmingham for assaulting a city health inspector.

The suspect, who barricaded himself in his home, opened fire on officers when they attempted to dislodge him with teargas and fire bombs. During an hour long gun battle eight officers and three onlookers were shot and wounded, but none seriously. The suspect was killed by an officer who shot him from an adjoining rooftop.

Deputy Williams, shot in the abdomen, died an hour later in a Birmingham hospital.