Alabama police chief says department policies violated in fatal shooting of Black man outside home

DECATUR, Ala.

An Alabama police chief says he believes department policies were violated when an officer shot and killed a man in his front yard during a dispute with a tow truck driver. Decatur Police Chief Todd did not elaborate on what the policy violations were. An officer fatally shot 39-year-old Steve Perkins on Sept. 29. Officers accompanied a tow truck driver trying to repossess Perkins’ truck and said Perkins pointed a gun at the officers. An attorney for Perkins’ family says video of the shooting suggests Perkins was not aware officers were there. Perkins is Black and the shooting has drawn regular protests in the north Alabama city.