Man shot in altercation with officer is charged with attempted murder
Russellville officers Lt. Scotty Lowery, Sgt. Josh Tompkins and Sgt. Jake Tompkins escort Waylon B.J. McClellan into the Franklin County Courthouse for a bond hearing Monday afternoon.
A Russellville man was shot Friday night after attempting to gain possession of an officer’s firearm during an altercation, officials said.
Waylon B.J. McClellan, 28, 109 Filmore St., Russellville, was charged with attempted murder, disarming a peace officer, felon in possession of a firearm and second-degree theft of property, Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett said.
According to Hargett, the police department received a suspicious persons call about 11 p.m. on Friday from the apartments located on Filmore Street.
Hargett said an officer responded to the call and checked the front of the apartments before moving to the back where a person was found hiding.
“When the suspect saw our officer, he tried to run and the officer pursued him,” Hargett said.
“The officer told him to stop several times but when he finally did, he took a defensive stance.”
Hargett said the officer used his Taser, which had little effect on the suspect, and when he used it a second time, the suspect pulled out the prongs and lunged at the officer.
“The officer and the suspect engaged in a physical altercation and at some point during the altercation, the suspect gained control of the officer weapon,” Hargett said.
He said the officer got the firearm back but as they continued to scuffle, the suspect again took possession of the firearm.
“The officer regained possession of the firearm and fired two shots into the suspect,” Hargett said.
The shots were fired into the suspect’s leg and were non-life-threatening.
After the officer gained control over the suspect, he was transported to Russellville Hospital where he was then transported to Huntsville Hospital for treatment.
Hargett said the Russellville officer was taken to Russellville Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
“This was one of those situations that could have ended up a lot worse than it did,” Hargett said.
“This was the type of call where you can’t let your guard down because you never know what will happen.”
Hargett said the situation was even more dangerous considering the officer didn’t have any backup available at the time.
“There were only three officers on patrol that night and the other two officers were already involved with other calls, so there was no backup immediately available to help with this situation,” he said.
“We are just very thankful that our officer was not seriously injured. It could have been so much worse, for both parties involved.”
McClellan remained in a guarded condition at Huntsville Hospital until Monday morning when he was released from medical treatment and transported back to Russellville.
At a bond hearing Monday afternoon, Franklin County District Judge Paula McDowell set McClellan’s bond at $250,000.
McClellan remains in custody at the Franklin County Jail.
