In the late evening of June 2, 2020, a call for service at the Super 8 Motel in Moody, Alabama, set in motion a tragic chain of events that would end in the death of a veteran police officer. Stephen Williams, a 50-year-old sergeant with the Moody Police Department, was the night-shift supervisor who responded to the call. A decorated officer with 23 years of law enforcement experience, Williams had recently been named Officer of the Year.
He was a husband and a father of three, known for his dedication to mentoring younger officers and his efforts to build positive relationships between the police and the community.
Upon his arrival at the motel, as Sergeant Williams approached the door of the room in question, he was met with a sudden and overwhelming barrage of gunfire from within. The ambush was brutal and immediate, with dozens of rounds fired through the door and wall from multiple weapons. Williams was critically wounded in the attack. Despite immediate medical attention and being rushed to UAB Hospital, he was pronounced dead. In the wake of his death, Williams was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant, a position he had held previously in another department and a title by which many still knew him.
Two individuals, Tapero Carleone Johnson and Marquisha Tyson, both from Birmingham, were quickly taken into custody following the shooting. The subsequent investigation led to both being charged with capital murder. In October 2023, after a ten-day trial that included video evidence of the ambush, a St. Clair County jury convicted Tapero Johnson of capital murder and recommended the death penalty. Marquisha Tyson later pleaded guilty to murder in a plea agreement and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. St. Clair County District Attorney Lyle Harmon stated that the plea deal was made with the consent of Williams' family and law enforcement.
