Suspect in murder of 80 year old security officer commits suicide
Jefferson County AL November 27, 2021
Two security officers who were shot at an Alabama mining operation did not know that each one had been shot.
According to the Jefferson County sheriff’s office, the first security officer was shot early Wednesday morning.
Deputies received a call that a man was shot at around 1 a.m. in the morning.
The 44-year-old man was injured after a shooting on Blue Creek Road in West Jefferson.
According to reports given to detectives from medical personnel, the shooting was said to have happened near the 4000 block of Blue Creek Road.
The security guard was able to drive himself to a location on Powder Plant Road, where he made contact with authorities.
The sheriff’s office said deputies went to Blue Creek Road but were unable to locate a crime scene due to the vast area of vacant land at the location.
But, at 6:40 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the 4000 block of Blue Creek Road on a second report of a deceased person.
The sheriff’s office said when deputies arrived, they found the 80-year-old man, identified as a security guard dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
He has now been identified as Samuel Owens Bell Jr.
The sheriff’s office said the body of the 80-year-old man was located by contractors who arrived at the strip pit for work Wednesday morning.
At this time sheriff investigators do not know if both men were shot at the same time or if they were shot hours apart.
A vehicle owned by Bell, a 2005 black Cadillac Escalade SUV was spotted by law enforcement in Cullman County, approximately forty miles northeast of the shooting.
At approximately 12:45 p.m., Cullman County Sheriff’s Deputies observed a suspicious vehicle that was determined to be reported stolen and involved in a homicide in Jefferson County.
The suspect refused to stop and attempted to elude deputies. The pursuit continued on Hwy 278 West. Ultimately, the suspect got stuck, ran off and stole another vehicle.
The pursuit continued towards Winston County. Other law enforcement agencies became involved in the pursuit. Addison Police Officers were able to successfully deploy spike strips and eventually disable the vehicle. Once the vehicle was stopped and the chase ended, Deputies discovered the suspect was deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
His name has not been released by authorities.
