Upper Panola Road shooting results in one death and one injury
Published 5:36 pm Monday, October 24, 2016
The Crenshaw County Sheriff’s Office, along with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), are currently investigating a shooting on Upper Panola Road in Highland Home, which took place yesterday at approximately 12:30 p.m. This shooting resulted in the death of George Michael Watson, 33, of Carbon Hill, and the injury of Stephanie Elizabeth Lawley, who was shot in the back.
“It occurred on Upper Panola Road. We have one person deceased and one person that was Life Flighted out. We’re unsure of the nature of her injuries right now, but I don’t think it’s life-threatening,” said Crenshaw County Sheriff Mickey Powell.
“The vehicle was about a mile and a half away from where this happened, so we actually have two different crime scenes. The public is in no danger. I’ve talked to the neighbors around the area and all possible suspects that we know of are in the county jail at this time.”
Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) SBI arrested last night, Oct. 24, two Lapine men for the murder of Watson.
Eddie Joe Flowers, 19, and Adam Durand Gregory, 18, were taken into custody shortly after agents arrived on scene. Flowers and Gregory are both being held at the Crenshaw County Jail on charges of felony murder, three counts of attempted murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. Bond has been set at $1 million for each individual.
“I can’t really say what we think the motive is right now. There was an altercation at the house. Watson was leaving the scene and was hit and killed instantly,” Powell said.
Powell notes that the Crenshaw County Sheriff’s Office made it to the scene and had the suspects in jail within an hour of receiving the first call.
“If anybody had been in danger, we would have immediately notified the office here. We would have let people know, but we had the situation under control in less than 60 minutes,” Powell said.
The incident took place only a few miles away from Highland Home School, and as a result the school was locked down for safety precautions.
“We kept the school updated on what was going on, so in no time was the school in any danger,” Powell said.
“I personally had contact with Dr. English on the situation. We were probably about four or five miles from the school.”
Nothing further is available as the investigation continues.