Alabama police officer fatally shot; suspect faces capital murder charge

ByMORGAN WINSOR ABCNews logo
Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A police officer was shot dead Sunday in Mobile, Alabama, authorities said.

Officer Sean Tuder of the Mobile Police Department was killed in the line of duty while executing an arrest warrant late Sunday afternoon, according to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

The suspect, Marco Perez, 19, was taken into custody Sunday after the shooting. He faces a capital murder charge for the officer's death, according to the Mobile District Attorney's Office.

Perez was wanted for allegedly faking his own kidnapping earlier this month to avoid possible jail time, according to Mobile Police Department. Officers arrested the suspect's mother, 38-year-old Tiffany Perez, last Thursday for allegedly filing a false police report to help Marco Perez evade police, the department said. It's unclear if either had obtained an attorney.

A Mobile County district court judge on Monday denied Perez bond and set his arraignment for Jan. 29. He is being held at Mobile Metro Jail, the district attorney's office said.

A representative for the Mobile Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Monday.

Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich described Tuder as one of the city's "finest officers."

"This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers that the brave men and women of law enforcement face every day," Rich said in a statement via Twitter Sunday.

Tuder joined the department in March 2016 and was named Officer of the Month in July 2017, according to the department's website.

Before Tuder, at least seven law enforcement officers were killed across the country in the first two weeks of the year.

ABC News' Karma Allen and J. Gabriel Ware contributed to this report.

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