On Friday, April 24, 2009, 38-year-old William Dexter Hammond, a Chief Investigator with the Headland Police Department and a 16-year law enforcement veteran who had served as police chief of Midland City, was killed in Headland, Alabama. A call reported a man brandishing a shotgun outside his residence on County Road 55. Henry County Sheriff’s Deputy Ted Yost was first to arrive and was seriously wounded by gunfire from 53-year-old Fred Davis.

Investigator Hammond arrived after the deputy was shot and, while taking up a defensive position near the suspect’s trailer, was fatally wounded by a high-powered rifle fired by Davis. Additional officers who responded were also fired upon; they returned fire and fatally shot Davis. Deputy Yost survived and was taken to a local medical center. No arrests were made because the shooter was killed at the scene.

Does anyone have memories of Hammond’s service in Headland or Midland City, or information about that night that could add detail to the timeline?