Man shot by cops threatened girlfriend’s livestock, police say

An Echo man shot and killed by police Saturday after he fired a handgun at them had previously made threats to kill his girlfriend’s livestock and could be heard shooting a gun on voicemail messages to her, according to authorities.

Bruce Higdon, 52, of County Road 59 was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. at Dale Medical Center. Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said Higdon was shot after he pulled a gun on three police officers sent to his residence to contact him about harassing phone calls he had made to his girlfriend.

“It’s a bad situation and my heart goes out to the (Higdon’s) family,” Olson said. “It’s something in our job that we hate to experience.”

Two Dale County Sheriff’s deputies and one Ozark police officer were dispatched to Higdon’s residence after receiving reports that Higdon had been threatening to kill his girlfriend’s livestock. Olson said Higdon could be heard shooting a gun in voicemail messages he had left for her. Higdon had a history of run-ins with the law, including a 2007 arrest for possession of a gambling device and previous arrests for assault and harassing communications, and driving under the influence.

The officers arrived at Hidgon’s residence after 6 p.m. Saturday. According to police reports, they came to the rear door of the residence and asked Higdon to come out and speak with them. Higdon came to the rear door asked the officers if he could get his gun, the officers told them he could not.

The report says that Higdon went back into the home and then came out on the back porch. Police asked Higdon to show his hands, but refused he to comply. The police then shot Higdon with a Taser, but the device did not subdue him. Higdon re-entered the home and came back out again, this time with a handgun. The police shot Higdon with a Taser again, but Higdon shrugged off it’s effects and pulled the Taser barbs from his body.

The police report says Higdon then began waving the weapon and threatened to shoot the officers. He was told to drop the weapon, but he eventually fired a round at the officers. The police then returned fire, striking Higdon.

While all this was going on, Higdon’s elderly, infirm father was present in the residence, Olson said.

After Higdon was shot, the officers began adminstering medical treatment to him and called an ambulance. He was transported to Dale Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. by Dale County Coroner Woody Hiilboldt.
The officers involved in the shooting have all been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated by the ABI. Olson and Ozark Police Chief Tony Spivey said this is routine in such incidents, and they believe the officers responded appropriately.

An autopsy is being performed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Spivey said he believes Higdon was intoxicated at the time of the confrontation, explaining his ability to resist the effects of the Taser.