Captain Peter Christopher "Chris" McCurley

Peter Christopher "Chris" McCurley

Captain Chris McCurley was shot and killed while serving a drug search warrant at 11:00 am on Briar Cliff Road off Lister Ferry Road near the Coosa River.

The couple wore body armor when they met the officers at the door. Captain McCurley was shot 18 times through the front door with an AK-47 equipped with a 100-round drum. After breaking down the door with gunfire, the male subject went outside to the yard and shot and wounded three more officers while the female helped him reload.

The male suspect was shot and wounded before both suspects were taken into custody. The female suspect pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to four concurrent 40-year prison terms. She was denied parole in 2018 and will be eligible for parole in 2023. The male suspect was sentenced to death in 1998. He committed suicide in 1999.

Captain McCurley had served with the Etowah County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and had just been appointed chief of the Etowah County drug task force. He is survived by his wife and two sons.