Police ID man killed in gunbattle with Alabama officers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Authorities in Alabama have identified a man who was killed by police during a gunbattle that left an officer critically wounded.

Officials say 35-year-old Roderick Wilson of Pinson was fatally shot after wounding the officer, Cullen Stafford.

Stafford was shot multiple times and is recovering from surgery. Police Chief Patrick D. Smith said Thursday that Stafford’s bulletproof vest likely saved his life.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office says Wilson died from multiple gunshot wounds but didn’t say how many.

The gunfire began after police were called to a robbery at a small grocery store.

Al.com reports Wilson had been arrested on more than half-dozen charges over the past decade, mostly recently just two weeks ago. He was accused of pulling a knife on sheriff’s deputies during an arrest in 2017.