Sergeant James Nicholas "Nick" Risner

James Nicholas "Nick" Risner

Sergeant Nick Risner succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day when he was critically wounded during a shootout with a murder suspect in Muscle Shoals.

The suspect had shot and killed the passenger of a vehicle he was riding in and pushed them out of the vehicle in the 800 block of Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals. The man then stole another vehicle and drove into the city of Sheffield. Muscle Shoals Police sent an area-wide report to surrounding agencies. The vehicle was spotted by members of the Sheffield Police Department and pursued back into Muscle Shoals. Sergeant Risner carried out a PIT maneuver, which is a pursuit tactic in which a pursuing car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop. The suspect was in an empty parking lot driving towards a busy Walmart parking lot when he was stopped.

The man opened fire on officers, wounding Sergeant Risner and another officer from the Sheffield Police Department. The subject was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire and taken into custody.

Sergeant Risner was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds the next day despite wearing a bullet-resistant vest. The second officer was saved by his bullet-resistant vest.

Sergeant Risner was a United States Army Reserve veteran and had served with the Sheffield Police Department for nine years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, parents, grandparents, and two brothers.