In an unforeseen act of violence on September 24, 1997, Montgomery Police Corporal Anderson Gordon, a 30-year-old male, was killed in the line of duty. An eight-year veteran of the department, he was ambushed while driving his patrol car. The tragic events unfolded at the intersection of Rosa Parks Avenue and National Avenue, where a bail bondsman was in pursuit of a bail jumper.
The fleeing man crashed his vehicle, and as Corporal Gordon happened upon the scene, the suspect opened fire without warning.
Corporal Gordon was fatally wounded by multiple gunshots before he could even exit his vehicle. The assailant, identified as Torrey Twane McNabb, then hid nearby and continued to shoot at other officers who were responding to the scene. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, McNabb was wounded and subsequently taken into custody. His motive for the unprovoked and violent attack on law enforcement remained a dark shadow over the community.
The aftermath of the shooting saw the local community mourning the loss of a dedicated officer, survived by his two daughters and fiancée. The legal process that followed was lengthy, but ultimately McNabb was convicted for the murder of Corporal Gordon. The court handed down the highest penalty, sentencing him to death for his crimes. Justice, though slow, was realized on October 19, 2017, when Torrey Twane McNabb was executed by lethal injection, bringing a close to a painful chapter for the family of Corporal Anderson Gordon and the Montgomery Police Department.
