A Huntington Police officer is on administrative leave after he fatally shot a truck driver who was engaged in a fight with a local security guard.
Police Chief Skip Holbrook says the preliminary investigation indicates officer Stephen Fritz fired four shots and killed 32-year old Joshua Emerson of Hamilton, Alabama early Saturday morning.
According to investigators Fritz was on a routine patrol when he spotted a collision between a truck and a small car. Fritz stopped to intervene and noticed Emerson going after the guard with a knife. He fired the shots in an attempt to halt the attack.
Holbrook says Fritz’s actions, while unfortunate because a man was killed, were heroic because he likely saved the security guard’s life.