Suspect in Fultondale shooting identified

Published 10:16 am Friday, August 12, 2016

Alvin Roy Jacobs, 45, of Birmingham, has been identified as the suspect in a massive manhunt in Fultondale on Thursday.

He is facing one charge of first-degree robbery, one count first-degree kidnapping, two counts of attempted murder and one count of first-degree burglary with a weapon. He is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. 

Jail records show that Jacobs was arrested July 22 on one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance. He was released on July 23 on a $2,500 bond. He also has served time for various other charges that include burglary, robbery and substance charges. 

According to Fultondale Police Chief David Smith, a homeowner confronted Jacobs in his driveway at approximately 4 a.m. He believed Jacobs was attempting to break into his vehicle. Fultondale Police responded to the call of a suspicious person in the area of Fultonbrook Estates and attempted to confront Jacobs.

According to police, Jacobs fled from police in his vehicle, which he crashed in the neighborhood, going through a fence and over a pool in a back yard before going down an embankment in the woods behind Sayers Road.

At some point later, Jacobs allegedly entered a home on Sayers Road and demanded vehicle keys from the residents, according to Smith. The homeowner gave him the keys and fled outside with her children, alerting police to his location.

As the suspect attempted to enter the homeowner’s vehicle, a police officer pulled into the driveway to block him in. As the suspect fled again on foot, Smith said he took a shot at police officers.

Police pursued the suspect on foot through the wooded area behind Sayers Road, where they said they exchanged gunfire with the suspect again.

Officers from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Gardendale Police Department, Alabama State Troopers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all responded to the scene to assist Fultondale.

JCSO brought it tracking dogs to attempt to locate the suspect in what Smith called “dense brush” and Birmingham Police brought in dogs trained to bite and apprehend suspects. A helicopter from the Alabama State Troopers post in Cullman was also brought in to assist with locating the suspect.

Just before 11 a.m. more shots were heard in the wooded area near Sayers Road and police said they had apprehended the suspect and that he was injured.

No police officers or residents were injured during the extensive manhunt, according to Smith.

The neighborhood remained on lockdown until Jacobs was in custody. Two bus routes were not able to run through the area, impacting 10 high school students and five elementary students, according to Jefferson County Board of Education representative Nez Calhoun.