Officer Edward K. Alley, Jr. was 34 when he was shot and killed on Christmas Day in the winter of 1980 while on duty in Birmingham. An eight-year veteran of the Birmingham Police Department who helped establish the city’s first organized block watch programs, Alley was struck by a single bullet to the right side of his chest after stopping a blue Chevrolet Nova near Oporto Road and Crestwood Boulevard following a robbery call at the Majik Mart on 5th Avenue South.

Witnesses say the vehicle’s passenger, identified as Benny Ray Jones, opened fire as Alley approached with his weapon drawn. Alley was found alive but unable to speak and later died of shock from blood loss. An eyewitness followed the Nova until officers took over, then positively identified Jones in a lineup. Jones was arrested and charged in the killing; he was later convicted and given life without parole. Reports note Jones had been on a work-release program for 1976 robbery convictions, and the robbery group’s organizer was on parole for a prior murder.

If anyone knew Officer Alley or witnessed the events around the Majik Mart that day, please share what you remember.