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WARRIOR, Ala. (AP) — Funeral plans have been announced for an Alabama police officer who was fatally shot in an ambush while assisting other officers during a vehicle pursuit.
Kimberly Police Officer Nick O'Rear, 33, was killed in a confrontation that authorities said began on Interstate 65 about 10 p.m. Tuesday. O'Rear was assisting officers from another department with a pursuit when the driver who was fleeing shot him, said Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock. He was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital Wednesday.
His funeral will be held on Monday at Gardendale First Baptist Church.
O'Rear had been with the department about a year. He was the father of two children, and had another on the way, Ellerbrock said.
“Everybody loved him,” Ellerbrock said. “He was a tremendous asset to our community.”
Preston Chyenne Johnson, 37, was charged with capital murder, attempted murder of a police officer and firing a gun at police.
Johnson has been arrested multiple times on drug possession and other charges over the p ast decade, court records show. It's unclear whether Johnson had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
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