Alabama police officer ID’d as 1 of 2 found dead in vehicle on I-22
Jasper AL Sept 26 2018
A Parrish Town Council member and part-time Jasper police investigator has been identified as one of two people found dead from gunshot wounds inside a vehicle on Interstate 22.
Walker County Coroner Joey Vick identified the victims as John Softley and Monica Cooper. Their ages and relationship to each other weren’t immediately available.
The bodies were discovered mid-morning Saturday when an off-duty firefighter was driving on Interstate 22 Saturday mid-morning and noticed a pickup truck under the overpass off exit 78 in Dora, Lt. Jon Riley with ALEA said. The firefighter stopped, looked inside, and spotted a man and a woman inside who appeared to be dead.
Dora police initially responded to the call, along with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office and the Walker County District Attorney’s Office. At the county’s request, the State Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe, with the sheriff’s office assisting.
Vick confirmed both victims had been shot. He said the manner of death is still under investigation and investigators have not yet ruled out a double homicide or a murder-suicide.
Softley was a retired investigator in Walker County who had returned to part time as a detective for the Jasper Police Department. He also was sworn in last year as a member of the Parrish Town Council.
“My heart is broken for everybody involved, for both families,” Parrish Mayor Heather Hall told AL.com Sunday. “Until the state concludes their investigation, I’m really limited on what I can say. But I can say this. He was somebody that many of us at Town Hall leaned on.”
“He’s been very active as a council member. Once he took the seat, he took that position seriously,” Hall said. “It’s a shock to all of us. It’s heartbreaking. It’s definitely been another hard blow for the Town of Parrish.”
AL.com
