Alabama recovery company seizes black dad’s truck while he’s dying just feet away

• Surveillance cameras captured the moment a truck driver escaped from his dying father’s car while he was lying outside his home after being fatally shot.
• Steven Perkins, 39, was shot and killed by officers from the Decatur Alabama Police Department outside his home in September.
• An attorney also said the tow truck driver’s actions were illegal and he should have stopped trying to reclaim ownership of the vehicle

This is the horrific moment an Alabama property recovery company seized a black father’s truck as he lay dying in the street just feet away after being shot by cops.

Steven Perkins, 39, was shot and killed by officers from the Decatur Police Department outside his home on September 29 in Decatur, Alabama.

A tow truck driver attempted to reclaim possession of Perkins’ truck when Perkins allegedly pulled a gun on him, prompting the driver to call 911, police said.

Surveillance cameras captured the moment Perkins was shot and killed by officers who shot him eighteen times. Horrifyingly, a driver from Allstar Recovery drives the dying man’s truck as he takes his last breaths just meters away, with his last words said to be ‘help’.

This newly released footage — first shared by the Decatur Daily — has sparked outrage in the Alabama city, where both the recovery company and the police department are being blamed for what activists say was Perkins’ needless death.

Officers can be seen standing over Perkins’ body on his front lawn after he was shot, while the tow driver nonchalantly fled in Perkins’ white GMC Sierra. Further fanning the flames of anger, Decatur police admitted they were given wrong information early on.

They claimed Perkins was asked to drop a gun he was carrying but he refused to do so.

Chief Todd Bennion later said the officers, who identified themselves as police, ordered Perkins to “get on the ground.”

The story change led locals to wonder if the police department had also gotten other important details wrong.

After the shooting, the officers appear to pat Perkins down, as one officer moves from Perkins’ right side to Perkins’ legs.

Out of sight, an unidentified recovery officer strapped the GMC to their truck and began towing it away.

As officers continue, the headlights from the tow truck begin to move at the 30-second mark.

The car turns left out of Perkins lane and Perkins’ pickup truck follows.

It’s not clear who was driving the truck, but the Decatur Daily reported that Allstar Recovery was owned by Shannon Gay.

A local business with a similar name — All Star Towing & Recovery — received abuse over Perkins’ death, but had nothing to do with the accident.

A house located directly across from where Perkins lives with his young family also recorded the moment he was shot.

Perkins can be heard shouting: “Hey, put my truck down,” before police officers rushed from cover with their weapons drawn.

One of them shouted at him: “Hey, hey!” police! Get on the ground! While the officers fired a volley of bullets at him.

Before the officer even finished, police began firing eighteen shots at Perkins.

Attorney Carl Cole told WAAY 31 last month that the truck driver should not have returned to Perkins’ home with police.

Cole added that police are not allowed to participate in repossessing a vehicle unless there is a court order – and he claims there was none.

Perkins’ family also says there is no indication he defaulted on payments on the GMC truck, which is why he tried to prevent it from being taken away.

“First, the truck driver is supposed to step down if there is any type of disturbance of the peace,” Cole told the outlet. ‘

“He should have never gone back there,” Cole continued. Secondly, the police are not supposed to participate in the repossession process in the absence of a court order.

If there is any breach of peace during the vehicle repossession, under Alabama law the repossession process ends.

“What I can say is this: They never should have come to that extreme, let alone towed his car away that night with him lying in his yard,” Cole added.

“You know I can’t imagine a greater insult than that which occurred at that time especially given what Alabama law says regarding: We’re not supposed to go any further if there’s a breach of the peace.

“Not only did they go further, but he’s lying in his yard while this is happening, which is really problematic,” he added. ‘

Perkins’ family says no crime scene was set up after his death and that the only sign of what happened was a pool of the late father’s blood.

Neighbor Susan Capps, 62, told the Decatur Daily she did not see police officers administering first aid, and instead they appeared to be patting Perkins as he lay dying.

She also claims that the officer who came to her door lied and said everyone involved in the shooting was fine.

Perkins’ killing sparked outrage in the city, where the local police department came under intense scrutiny over his death and the officers’ actions.

They are not named.

Police Chief Todd Binion apologized last month after the department falsely described officers’ orders in the PD’s “initial rush” to release information.

The department inaccurately said officers ordered Perkins to drop his weapon and that he refused to do so.

What actually happened, Binion said, was that the officers identified themselves as “police” and ordered Perkins “to get on the ground.”

“I apologize for the inaccurate description of the interview in our initial statement, and we have already taken steps to improve our public information-sharing process,” he wrote.

Pinion promised “to be transparent in providing any information we can share once we are able to publish it.”

He added: “There is a lot of public talk about the shooting of Stephen Perkins. Anytime a police officer uses deadly force, questions must be asked and answers must be given.”

The Decatur Police Department confirmed Thursday that the internal investigation into Perkins’ death has been completed.

“Today, our department’s internal investigation into this case was completed,” Chief Bennion said. “This investigation addresses potential policy violations only.”

“If it is found that department policy has been violated and discipline is warranted, it will be submitted to the Sheriff’s Office for a hearing to determine resolution.

“At that hearing, the sheriff will hear the facts of the case and decide whether and to what extent discipline is warranted.”

As a result of the police response, protests broke out daily in the city’s north, with hundreds of people gathering outside Decatur City Hall.

“The thing that has been constant is the search for answers.” We understand that. This is something everyone wants and they want answers now. “Unfortunately, we have no control over that,” Decatur Mayor Tab Bolling told media earlier.

A fundraising campaign has been launched to help Perkins’ family, who describe him as a “devoted husband, gym enthusiast and hard-working man”.

Since its launch, the fundraiser has raised more than $72,000 for his family.

Perkins’ family had previously said his truck was not in repossessed condition, which is why he was objecting to the recall.

Rodney Gordon, president of the Morgan County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said video from the night of his death shows police did not follow proper procedures.

“If I had knocked on the door as a police officer, we would never have had this conversation,” he told the Decatur Daily. If I got home with the lights on, I wouldn’t go out with a gun.

“If you come and knock on my door and introduce yourself as a police officer, I’m not coming to the door with a gun.

“This whole thing could have been avoided. According to the movie – and this is not lying – it was an ambush.”