Tulsa K-9 Officer Steve Downie was summononed to a dark alley about a mile from a fast-food restaurant that had been robbed on June 10, 1996. Officer Downie and Officer Dick Hobson began searching the alley on foot, when muzzle blasts lighted up the area. Suspect Steven Williams, 21, had engaged officers with a shotgun, firing from a darkened corner in front of a steel plate (visible on the right). Read the full story, as our "Shots Fired" feature for June. Photos are courtesy of Steve Downie.
Shots Fired: Tulsa, Okla., The Alley
Officer Walt Milner took up his position near corner of building on the right. This is also the location of where I crawled to for cover.
You can still see the bullet hole at bottom right of steel plate that the suspect was positioned in front of.
Looking south down the alley, you can see the telephone pole Officer Jack Pike took cover behind. Officer Jim Leach took up a position on the left. The fence was once covered in foliage. Also, the brick wall on left was not there on June 10, 1996.
This is a view looking north up the alley where the firefight took place. Steven Williams, a 21-year-old robbery suspect, was positioned next to the metal plate on the right between the fence and the building.
Suspect Williams saw this vantagepoint of the alley. He was fully covered in darkness, while he saw the approaching officers clearly thanks to a streetlight.