The police were sent to the 500 block of 23rd St. N., in Birmingham city center, around 6:30 pm. Among the reports of an armed robbery at a convenience store, Birmingham police chief Patrick Smith told reporters.
Once on the scene, officers reported seeing a man fleeing the area corresponding to the description of the suspect involved. Smith said the officers met the man and tried to stop him when he pulled out a handgun and started firing.
Stafford was severely injured by police who put him in a police vehicle and transported him to the Trauma Center at the University of Alabama Hospital, about 3 km from the initial scene, reported the WBRC.
Smith said the relief had been called and the suspect had "re-engaged" the police in three different locations. The police fired several times at the suspect, who was finally shot near a parking lot, three or four blocks from the original crime scene.
Stafford was a 9-year veteran of the Birmingham Police Department. He enlisted in the forces on July 18, 2011. He is expected to be 36 on Thursday.
Police set an initial perimeter around five blocks after the Wednesday night shootout. A second officer was injured during the pursuit, although Smith stated that it was not a firearm-related injury.
