Alexander City police officer Tommy Maness was found not at fault for the March 8 shooting death of Emerson Crayton Jr.
District Attorney E. Paul Jones reported Wednesday that a Tallapoosa County grand jury has exonerated the officer after it was presented with evidence from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
For the first time in his career, Jones showed evidence that was presented to the grand jury to those who attended the 1 p.m. press conference.
“I think it is important for community members who have been bombarded with misinformation to see what happened,” Jones said. “The bottom line: the grand jury in Tallapoosa County that was impaneled in January of this year exonerated the officer and found there was no guilt on his part in connection to the shooting.”
In the video, an officer appears to walk down the hill next to Huddle House in response to a disturbance. When he nears the building, a Huddle House employee points out a vehicle and the officer attempts to stop it, beating the outside of the car and demanding the driver, Crayton, to stop. Seconds later, the car’s engine can be heard revving up as the tires turn toward the officer and start squealing, at which point shots were fired.
“It is always tragic when anybody dies,” Jones said. “These police officers are out there with seconds, sometimes split seconds, to make decisions on whether they are going to die or whether they will take action to protect their life.”
Jones added that he wanted to respond to quotes from Julian McPhillips and Tavaris Hutchins, who are representing Crayton, that appeared in The Outlook and other media outlets.
“The most critical thing that I want to talk about is that somebody needs to go to law school or read about the legal system – one of the quotes I saw was that the grand jury was made of Huddle House employees,” Jones said. “That has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever read in the newspaper. The grand jury that heard this evidence was impaneled in January before this shooting ever occurred. They were sworn in before everyone knew an event like this was going to occur.”
Jones said that McPhillips and Hutchins, who have requested the video in regards to a civil matter they have filed, have not been shown the video.
“They have not been entitled to it,” Jones said. “This has been part of a criminal investigation, and what they have is a civil action. Ultimately, they will be able to get a copy, but this court has not given them permission to conduct discovery because a criminal investigation was ongoing.”
Sign up for our Free Newsletters
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Neither was present during the press conference.
In regards to his decision to release a video of the incident, Jones said he wanted to quell any allegations of racism.
“There has been an effort to turn this into a racial issue, and it is not,” Jones said. “It is a police issue and an individual’s issue. I don’t see any action of the officer that deviated from the policy of the police department. He was faced with immediate harm or immediate action, and he is trained to take action.”
After reviewing the video evidence, Jones added that some witnesses could face criminal charges.
“Some of the witnesses may wish they never came before the grand jury because video evidence shows very clearly that those people fabricated stories,” Jones said. “There will be an ongoing investigation to determine whether they will be subject to criminal charges.”
Alexander City Police Chief Willie Robinson thanked the public for their patience through this matter.
“First, I would like to thank the community for letting the investigative process into this incident come to a conclusion,” Robinson said. “I would like to give thanks to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation for conducting a precise and factual investigation and to the district attorney’s office and grand jury for the professionalism that has been displayed in the handling of an emotional incident within our community.”
Robinson said the department will continue to do its job.
“Alexander City Police Department takes pride in conducting ourselves in a professional manner and serving our community to the highest standards, and we will continue to do so,” Robinson said. “Continue to remember all parties involved, and we hope the findings of this investigation will help in the coping process of this incident.”
Mayor Charles Shaw thanked the ABI for their handling of the case and called for unity in the city.
“I would like to see our community heal now,” Shaw said. “I think we need to pray for both families involved, because it was a terrible tragedy.”
