Sergeant Roger L. Motley, Opelika Police Department, Alabama

Sergeant Roger L. Motley

Opelika Police Department, Alabama

End of Watch Monday, October 4, 1993

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Roger L. Motley

Sergeant Roger Motley was shot and killed after being notified that a child in the parking lot needed help while he was picking up supplies at 2900 Pepperell Parkway in Opelika.

Sergeant Motley located an adult male and the child in a car in the parking lot. As he approached the vehicle, the man pulled out a firearm and exchanged gunfire with Sergeant Motley. Both men were wounded in the exchange.

Sergeant Motley took cover in his patrol car and put out an emergency broadcast as his car rolled through the parking lot. The man's female companion, who was on a pay phone at the time of the initial shooting, approached Sergeant Motley's patrol car and shot him several more times. Sergeant Motley was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.

Both suspects, who had failed to appear in court for assault charges, were convicted and sentenced to death. The female suspect was executed on May 10, 2002, and the male suspect was executed on August 4, 2005.

Sergeant Motley had served with the Opelika Police Department for 18 years. He was survived by his wife and four children.

Bio

Age 38
Tour 18 years
Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Both executed

domestic

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On October 4th, 1993, my father, Officer Roger Motley, was killed in the line of duty. He was a strict man, but also a good man. He believed in service, in standing firm when others would falter, and in protecting people even when it came at the highest cost. I am who I am today because of him.

My father gave his life saving a child in need. In his final moments, he did what he had always lived to do, protect the innocent. That act of courage cost him everything, but it also showed exactly who he was: a man whose instinct was to serve others before himself.

It isn’t easy to talk about police service in today’s climate. There is so much anger, division, and sometimes even hate. Too often, the uniform gets judged instead of the person wearing it. But when I think about my father, I don’t see a uniform or a headline, I see a man who put others before himself. His sacrifice wasn’t abstract. It left an empty seat at our table, and a hole in our family that will never fully close.

Three decades later, I find myself serving in my own way. Today, I run satellite communications for SOCOM’s deployed troops. My work is about keeping warriors connected, giving them the tools to accomplish their missions. In that way, I carry forward a piece of my father’s legacy; service, duty, and sacrifice, not for recognition, but because others depend on it.

As his son, I honor him not just by remembering his death, but by living my life in a way that reflects his values. Strength. Discipline. Service to others. Those lessons he gave me still shape me every day.

You were taken from us far too soon. But your example still guides me. You stood the line when it mattered most, and you gave your life to save a child. That is the kind of hero you were.

Jason Perkins
Son

October 4, 2025