Former Alabama Officer Faces Murder Trial After Judge Denies Immunity for On-Duty Shooting
Mac Marquette, who was fired from the Decatur Police Department, has been charged with murder in the Sept. 29, 2023, shooting of Steve Perkins. Marquette's attorneys had argued that he should be immune from prosecution.
A former Alabama police officer who fired more than a dozen rounds in less than two seconds and killed a man during a truck repossession in 2023 will have to stand trial for murder.
Mac Marquette, who was fired from the Decatur Police Department, has been charged with murder in the Sept. 29, 2023, shooting of Steve Perkins. Marquette's attorneys had argued that he should be immune from prosecution under the state's "stand your ground" law, NBC reports.
The shooting unfolded after a tow truck driver went to Perkins' home to repossess a truck early that morning. Perkins exited his garage holding a pistol and told the driver to get off his property, according to court documents filed Monday in a Morgan County circuit court.
The driver left and contacted police.
Marquette and two other officers, Joey Williams and Christopher Mukadam, met the tow truck driver at a lot and accompanied him to Perkins' home to ensure the repossession happened "peacefully," according to the filing.
After the tow truck driver arrived, Perkins came out of his home with a gun, according to the filing. Marquette shouted, "Hey," twice, and Perkins "turned and his gun swept towards Marquette's direction," according to the court document.
Marquette told investigators that he drew his firearm and opened fire because he considered Perkins' gun a threat to the tow driver. The former officer claimed that after he shouted at Perkins, the pair "locked eyes," and he feared he was about to die.
Morgan County Circuit Judge Charles Elliott denied Marquette's motion for immunity, writing in the court filing that there was no crime being committed when officers arrived and that they were not allowed to be involved in a repossession because they did not have a court order.
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