A Carbon Hill homeowner fatally shot an intruder Wednesday after two people kicked in his front door, and police are still searching for a second suspect they say fled the scene in a pickup truck. The homeowner, who was alone at the time, fired roughly eight shots during the confrontation, according to police.
Carbon Hill Police Chief Paul Anderson said a 911 call reported the shooting at 12:24 p.m. in the 100 block of Northwest Seventh Avenue, and he arrived at the house minutes later, according to WVTM 13. The timeline matches accounts from WBRC, which reported that two suspects showed up and kicked down the homeowner's door before he responded with gunfire. A woman identified by the coroner as 32-year-old Kenya Pugh, who also went by Kenya Davis, was shot and died at the scene.
A Break-In the Day Before Set the Stage
The attack came just a day after the same home had been burglarized. The homeowner had reported that someone broke into his house while he was away, and he took Wednesday off work because of it, per the station's report. Chief Anderson said he believes Pugh and Tucker were likely responsible for that earlier break-in, according to WVTM 13.
A hat worn by Tucker was found about four feet from Pugh's body, according to the same account. Police identified the second suspect as 38-year-old Dustin Patrick Tucker, who fled the scene following the attempted break-in and is described as standing between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall.
Search Focuses on a Distinctive Pickup and a White Infiniti
Tucker fled in a pickup truck that police say resembles a 1988 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat, carrying an Earl Lee Auto Sales drive-off tag, though police noted the actual vehicle is in considerably worse condition than that description suggests. Alabama's 42 reported that Tucker may be driving a brown-and-tan 1980s-model Ford pickup, but also has access to a white Infiniti he could be traveling in.
Investigators believe Tucker may be hiding somewhere between Carbon Hill and Winfield, and police noted he might have contacts in Florence, according to the station's report. Carbon Hill Police are asking anyone with information about Tucker's whereabouts to call 205-924-4411.
A separate report from Patch described a Walker County home invasion and shooting in which two people died and one person was injured, differing from the account of a single fatality given by other outlets. It remains unclear whether that report refers to the same incident.
