In the winter of 1980, on what should have been a festive Christmas Day, the city of Birmingham was rocked by the tragic death of one of its own. Police Officer Edward K. Alley, Jr., a 34-year-old White / Caucasian male, was shot and killed in the line of duty, leaving behind a wife, daughter, and a grieving community. An eight-year veteran of the Birmingham Police Department, Officer Alley was known for his dedication and his role in establishing the city's first organized block watch programs. His father was a sergeant with the same police department.
The fatal encounter began to unfold around 12:15 p.m. when a robbery was reported at the Majik Mart on 5th Avenue South. A man, later identified as Benny Ray Jones, entered the convenience store armed with a silver pistol. He ordered employees and customers against a wall before stealing money from the cash register and a safe. A dispatch went out, and Officer Alley responded, receiving information to intercept the suspect's vehicle, a blue Chevrolet Nova, near Crestwood Boulevard.
Officer Alley located and stopped the Nova at the intersection of Oporto Road and Crestwood Boulevard. As he approached the vehicle with his weapon drawn, the passenger, Benny Ray Jones, opened fire. A single bullet struck Officer Alley in the right side of his chest. Though found alive at the scene, he was unable to speak and later succumbed to his injuries, the cause of death being shock from blood loss.
The suspects fled after the shooting, but their escape was not unseen. An eyewitness followed the Chevrolet Nova until a police car took over the pursuit. This witness later positively identified Benny Ray Jones in a lineup as the man who shot Officer Alley. Jones was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Officer Alley. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It was later revealed that at the time of the murder, Jones was on a work-release program for previous robbery convictions from 1976. The individual who orchestrated the group of robbers was also on parole for a prior murder.
