One dead after police pursuit ends in shooting in West Alabama

One person died in a shooting after a Thursday night traffic stop by Northport police resulted in a pursuit by officers that ended in Greene County.

At around 11:15 p.m., officers with the Northport Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the 4000 block of McFarland Boulevard in Northport. During the interaction between the driver of the car and police officers, shots were fired and the vehicle fled the scene, said Capt. Jack Kennedy, with the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

A pursuit of the vehicle began, which eventually involved several law enforcement agencies, and continued around Tuscaloosa County.

The pursuit ended in Greene County, where the vehicle crashed near Exit 52 on Interstate 20/59.

Officers and deputies from several jurisdictions, including the Northport Police Department, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and from within Greene County, approached the vehicle and reported that the driver had a firearm, Kennedy said.

Kennedy said shots were fired by several officers. The driver was struck by gunfire and treated on the scene. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital, but did not survive.

No one with the Northport Police Department will be involved with the investigation into the shooting, which will be spearheaded by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation.

"This investigation is just beginning, and it will be some time before any other statements or information will be released, Kennedy said in a news release.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Police pursuit that began in Northport ends with driver fatally shot