Witnesses Say Suspect Was Unarmed When Police Shot Him Sunday Jul 12, 2009 12:05AM A suspect is shot by a Homewood Police officer in what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop. It happened around 8p.m. Friday near the corner of MLK Drive and Nassau Avenue in Birmingham, just past the Homewood city line. Homewood police pulled over a car for speeding and other violations. But investigators say the traffic stop led to gunfire when one of the three suspects inside the car tried to run off with a gun in his hand. However, after talking to several witnesses in the neighborhood, there are conflicting stories as to whether the suspect did, indeed, have a gun in his hand when the officer shot him. Witnesses say when police pulled the car over, the suspect sitting in the back seat jumped out of the car and ran across the street into a nearby yard. They say he then ran around an orange-colored building and started to circle back toward the police. That's when witnesses say the suspect threw his gun into the woods along MLK Drive. "He threw the pistol as high as these trees and he kept running. When he came here he stumbled and as he stumbled there was a gunshot. POW!" says Eric Jones, witness. Witnesses claim the suspect was unarmed when he was shot. "In no way or in no time did I ever see him in a threatening motion towards the police," says Larry Dees, witness. But Homewood Police disagree. The department's spokesman, Sgt. Andrew Didcoct, told ABC 3340 over the phone Saturday <b>...</b>
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