An Alabama sheriff’s deputy apparently committed suicide Thursday by shooting himself while in a car outside the a facility where a law enforcement training event was being held, authorities said.
Elmore County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Stephen Earl Sims II, 43, of Deatsville, Alabama, was found dead Thursday afternoon inside a car parked outside the Fultondale Event Center.
A Jefferson County Coroner’s Office spokesperson said Sims was found at approximately 12:48 p.m. in the backseat of a vehicle parked outside the Fultondale Event Center.
Fultondale police said in a social media post that an outside group had been conducting a law enforcement training event at the center.
“Law enforcement from all over the state has been attending,” Fultondale police wrote on social media. “Sadly, it appears that a Deputy from another county committed suicide in the parking lot of the Fultondale Event Center today. We are praying for the family and friends of this Deputy.”