Alabama police arrest suspect in shooting death of officer

[May 21, 2019]    (Reuters) - A man sought for the shooting death of an Auburn, Alabama, police officer and the wounding of two others was arrested without incident early on Monday after a brief manhunt that had the community on edge, authorities said.

Grady Wayne Wilkes, 29, was taken into custody about nine hours after the shooting, which happened on Sunday night when police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance and were met with gunfire, Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said.

"It was relatively uneventful," Register said, describing the arrest at a news briefing. "No one was injured during the arrest of the suspect."

Wilkes was charged with capital murder, three counts of attempted murder and third degree domestic violence, Register said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what prompted Wilkes, who served in the military and was dressed in military garb, to open fire on the officers, he said.

"He was cooperative in conversations with law enforcement," he added.

The officer who was fatally gunned down was identified as William Buechner, a 13-year veteran of the force. The other two officers were expected to recover from their wounds, Register said.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Alison Williams and James Dalgleish)

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