FORT PAYNE, Ala. – On Friday, February 26th, DeKalb County Sheriff Deputies and Sylvania Police Officers responded to a shooting at a residence on County Road 233 between Sylvania and Rainsville. Before officers arrived, the caller reported that the suspect had left the scene in a silver Chevrolet Corvette. Fort Payne Police Officers and deputies located the vehicle in a ditch at the intersection of County Road 85 and County Road 749, due to the suspect losing control of the vehicle. The male and female subjects exited the vehicle and ran into a wooded area, but thanks to the help from some observant motorists, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Officers with the Fort Payne, Valley Head and Mentone Police Department’s apprehended the subjects within minutes. John Christopher Shea Hunter (38 of Valley Head) was charged with Assault 2nd and Discharge Firearm-Building/Train.
DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the incident: “I just want to say how proud I am of all of our guys and girls that were involved in this incident. Our deputies, investigators and narcotics unit did an outstanding job. The response time was phenomenal and with the help of our very observant citizens, we were able to catch this subject and put him in jail. Also, I want to give a huge thank you to Sylvania, Fort Payne, Valley Head and Mentone Police Departments. We couldn’t have done it without their help. This was an outstanding job done by all and just goes to show how working together can make tough jobs like these go just a little bit smoother.”
