New Developments in Alabama Borrower Shot by Police

Video Shows Agent Leaving with Borrowers Truck as he Laid Dying

Decatur, AL – November 15, 2023 – Back in October, we reported the shooting death of borrower Stephen Perkins by the Decatur Police during the second repossession attempt to recover his truck. While we have tried to allow the investigation into this matter to run their due course, certain developments have been released since that fateful night that bring up numerous questions.

As previously reported, 39-year-old father and borrower Stephen Perkins, was gunned down by officers from the Decatur Police Department outside his home on September 29 in Decatur, Alabama. Police claimed that a repossessor, later identified as employed by All Star Recovery, had previously attempted to repossess Perkins truck when it is alleged that Perkins pulled a gun on him. This resulted in the agent calling 911. New Developments in Alabama Borrower Shot by Police

While police have yet to release police bodycam footage of the incident, video surveillance cameras captured from neighbors captured the moment Perkins was gunned down. A total of eighteen rounds were fired at him.

Video also captured the agent from Allstar Recovery towing away Perkins truck as he laid dying just feet away. He begins leaving the scene after about 30 seconds into the video while officers can be seen still patting the dying Perkins on the ground behind him. Perkins’ final words were said to be ‘help.’

This newly release video footage has triggered renewed outrage in Decatur at both the police department for allowing the repossession to commence and at All Star recovery whom local activist claim was a needless death.

In the video, at Decatur officers can be seen standing over the body of Perkins in his front lawn after gunning him down. At the same time, the repossession agent can be seen towing away Perkins’ white GMC Sierra.

The Decatur Police only made things worse when they admitted to reporting a crucial piece of their original allegations that Perkins had been told to drop a gun that he’d been holding but had refused to follow the orders to do so.

Decator Police Chief, Todd Pinion later said Perkins had been ordered to ‘get on the ground’ by officers who’d identified themselves as police. Video evidence showed that officers opened fire before the final order was given when Perkins pointed his flashlight reportedly attached to his pistol. The omission of this critical detail created a firestorm of outrage and suspicion by neighbors and the community.

While police have withheld video evidence, Perkins’ neighbors were not. One of the neighbors cameras situated directly across from Perkins’ home captured the moment he was fatally shot.

Family spokesperson Brenton Lipscomb later reported; “From the immediate footage that we’re seeing, it looked like an ambush of him not even knowing who was in his yard. They were in uniform, but it’s a very dark neighborhood. No police cars were in front of the house. They were parked down the street, hiding in neighborhoods’ yards, hiding around the house.”

In the video, Perkins can be heard shouting: ‘Hey, put my truck down’ to the returning repossession agent, before police officers rushed from cover with weapons drawn.

One of the officers yelled at him: ‘Hey, hey! Police! Get on the ground!’ Just before the officer even finished his command, the officers began unloading their weapons on him. A total of eighteen shots were fired towards Perkins with several killing him and numerous others riddling the homes of his neighbors.

After the shooting, the officers appear to pat Perkins down, with one officer moving from Perkins’ right side over to Perkins’ legs.

It is unknown at this point the identity of the All Star Recovery agent that had repossessed Perkins’ truck. The Allstar Recovery involved in the incident is owned by Shannon Gay. Not to be confused with a similarly named local business; All Star Towing & Recovery, who has received unwarranted abuse over Perkins’ death, but had nothing to do with the incident.

Perkins’ family disputed the claim that he was behind in his truck payments and that the truck was being wrongfully repossessed. The GMC truck, bearing Alabama License #FJC727 was kept in storage at All Star Recovery’s lot until November 15^th.

According to Perkins’ family they received the truck back from All-Star Recovery without having to pay any fees.

Family Attorney, Cannon Lambert Sr., said that this is unusual if the car was legally repossessed. He adds; “The fact that the family has the truck back now vindicates clearly that there was no repo order, there was no reason for them to be there in the first place,” “I’m talking about the repo company. They put this in order, they set the table for this.”

He says that the way this situation is being handled does not make sense.

“Candidly we take exception to the notion that after the truck was taken to the tow truck company the police didn’t do anything to secure it because it was a piece of evidence,” Lambert said. “For the family to get it back in the way that they did it just belies rationale.”

Perkins’ brother, Nick Perkins, took possession of the leased GMC truck. He has obvious mixed feelings about having it back. “I was happy, mad, sad, disappointed, about every emotion you could feel I felt in that moment because I shouldn’t have had the car, my brother should have had the car,”

“They ambushed my brother and then took his truck or allowed the truck to leave,” Perkins said.”, these officers allowed a tow truck to drive off from his property, out of his driveway, while he laid in his front yard.”

“It was an active crime scene. I don’t get it, it’s an answer that needs to be answered by this police department.”

Nick is now paying off the rest of the trucks lease. He did not want to put the burden on Steve’s widow, Catrela.

Six weeks since the shooting and neither the Decatur police nor the Alabama State investigators have commented on the still ongoing investigation.

Sources: WAFF.com , DailyMailUK

Editors Note: At issue to many in the repossession community was the questions of whether the agent should have returned to affect the repossession and whether or not the officers should have assisted with the recovery. Regardless of your opinion, this event was a tragedy and not worth the borrower, Perkins’, life.

Of note, an agent of All Star Recovery further south in Talladega, suffered a shotgun wound to the neck on a repossession on October 27^th. No status is known of him. He was listed as in critical condition at the time.