UPDATE: Both suspects are now in custody, per the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.
WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — Original: The search continued in Walker County on Friday for a suspect connected to a fatal shooting early Thursday.
Police said there are two suspects involved that could pose a threat to the community and residents should be very cautious. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office warns the public that the suspects are considered armed and dangerous. It advises residents near Coon Creek Road in Empire to keep their doors locked.
The Walker County Sheriff’s Office has have set up a perimeter on the 2000 block of that road where it believes one suspect could be located. The sheriff’s office confirmed warrants have been issued for the two individuals connected to shooting that occurred in Quinton.
Corey Ryan Mahaffey, 36, is wanted for multiple charges to include capital murder and first-degree assault. A juvenile male is also facing charges. Residents remain cautious as police work to find Mahaffey.
“It makes you iffy, I guess,” said Bryan Levan, who lives on Coon Creek Road. “You know, I kept the door locked.”
“People have just got to keep themselves safe” said another nearby resident, Margaret Elmore. “That’s all. You know, cause we’re not going to put up with stuff like this.”
Levan told CBS 42 police searched through homes in his area, including his own, in an attempt to locate the suspect.
“They asked everybody to come outside because they thought the boy may have come in the house,” Levan said. “You never know, somebody, when their mindset is like that. I guess they shot somebody to get away, I guess, and they were already chasing the boy.”
Elmore says her guard is up, but that their community protects one another well.
“I know a lot of people that come down here that live in the area where I do,” Elmore said. “We all know each other. We help each other. That’s the thing and we watch out for each other.”
Both residents say they are confident in the work police are doing to catch the suspect.
“They’ve been there in them woods chasing that boy since 4 or 5 o’clock yesterday, and they’re on him,” Levan said. “Apparently, they’re doing anything they can to catch him.”
“I think they’ll catch him,” Elmore said. “It’s just a matter of time. These people, and if they don’t, somebody will.”
The Walker County corner has identified the victim who was shot and killed as Matthew Douglas Perrigin of Quinton. He told CBS 42 the body was sent to Huntsville to receive an autopsy.
CBS 42 reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment, but it said its not sharing any further details about the investigation at this time. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.
