Deputy shooting suspect moved from Baldwin County, bond set at $1.5 million

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 12/20/17

BAY MINETTE — The suspect in the shooting of a Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputy is being moved from Bay Minette to the Mobile Metro Jail with a total bond set at $1.5 million following a hearing …

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Deputy shooting suspect moved from Baldwin County, bond set at $1.5 million

Posted

BAY MINETTE — The suspect in the shooting of a Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputy is being moved from Bay Minette to the Mobile Metro Jail with a total bond set at $1.5 million following a hearing held Wednesday in Fairhope.

Forrest Carl Bullin, 37, of Stockton had his bond revoked on a second degree assault charge, along with two misdemeanor charges, during a bond hearing held Wednesday afternoon, according to Baldwin County District Attorney Robert Wilters.

His bond was set at $1 million for an attempted murder charge, along with an additional $500,000 for a first degree assault charge in the shooting early Tuesday morning of Baldwin County Sheriff Deputy Cpl. Michael Walker, which happened at Bullin’s home on Alabama 59 in the Latham community of Stockton.

Walker has reportedly been released from USA Medical Center in Mobile. He was shot at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday while responding to a domestic violence call with two other deputies.

Bullin was identified as a suspect after investigators say they received a call at around 8:30 Monday night of a woman who was reportedly forced out of a moving vehicle then fell off a bridge on Alabama 59.

Shortly after arriving on the scene, officials say Walker was shot in the face, shoulder and torso area and immediately returned fire.

“He was the supervising officer on the scene and was the only one to return fire as far as we know,” said Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack Jr. in a press conference Tuesday morning. “Based on reports from the scene and my personal monitoring of the situation, he continued to give commands even after he was loaded into an ambulance and being transported to the hospital. He could have a long road ahead, but we expect him to make a full recovery.”

Officers with the S.W.A.T. unit were called to the scene, along with Sheriff’s Department negotiators, and after more than four hours, Bullin surrendered and was taken into custody.

He was transported to the Baldwin County Corrections Facility where he was booked on attempted murder charges.

“Both officers remained on the scene until the suspect was captured, then they went to the hospital to be with their fellow officer,” Mack said. “Both appear to be okay. We will be conducting an internal investigation as with all officer involved shootings.”

The Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit was called in to lead in the investigation.

“Since a Baldwin County deputy was involved in the shooting, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office will not be involved in the investigation, except to provide information,” said Gulf Shores Police Chief Ed Delmore, chairman of the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit.

GSPD Lt. Bill Cowan, public information officer with the BCMCU, was also on hand for Tuesday morning’s press conference at the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office in Bay Minette, and provided a timeline of events for the incident.

Multiple guns were found inside the home, officials said, including a 12-guage shotgun believed to be involved in the deputy’s shooting.

Bullin has a long list of bookings with the Baldwin County Corrections Facility, dating back to a DUI charge in 2011, according to online jail records.

According to records he was last booked Sept. 22, 2016 on second degree assault charges. He was released the next day on a $5,000 bond. He was also out on bond for two misdemeanor charges, Wilters said.

According to the Baldwin County Corrections Facility website, Bullin was released from jail at 1:28 p.m. on Wednesday. A short time later in a phone interview, Wilters said Bullin was in the process of being transferred to Mobile, where he will be held on a $1.5 million bond.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to support Cpl. Michael Walker and his family, originated by a fellow deputy’s wife. You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/deputy-mike-walker.