ETOWAH COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) -- Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton confirmed a police officer shot a man who was then pronounced dead in an unincorporated area of the county Wednesday morning.
According to the Etowah County Sheriff's Office, preliminary reports show a Sardis City Police Department officer responded around 7:30 a.m. to a reported disturbance near the Sardis Middle School car rider drop off line. When the officer made contact with a man, he reportedly fled the scene in a vehicle.
The officer pursued the suspect to a driveway off Lawson Gap Road. The suspect exited the vehicle, and an "altercation" allegedly occurred. The sheriff office's stated shots were exchanged between the suspect and officer. Though the ECSO noted officers and medical personnel started immediate life-saving efforts, the suspect died at the scene. No officers sustained injuries.
Etowah County Coroner London Pearce identified the man who died as 54-year-old Ian Sullivan. He resided in the Boaz area. Sullivan's cause of death is under investigation.
The Etowah County Board of Education put in a statement a parent became upset in the car rider line, and the school asked for police assistance to resolve the issue. That parent, according to the board of education, was the man the officer pursued. The statement asserts no students or staff were in danger, as they were secure inside the school building. The sheriff's office noted school activities proceeded as planned.
The ECSO and Jacksonville State Center for Applied Forensic Science will start an independent investigation into the case. When the investigation is complete, a report will be turned over to the Etowah County District Attorney's Office for review.