A judge sentenced Brian Lansing Martin to death for the October 2021 shooting death of Sheffield Police Sgt. Nick Risner, concluding a legal case that spanned five years.
The sentence follows Martin’s conviction in September on 10 felony counts, including three counts of capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle, and one count of certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm. After deliberating for 90 minutes, jurors reached a guilty verdict and later voted unanimously to recommend capital punishment.
The deadly encounter occurred on Oct. 1, 2021, when officers responded to a shooting scene involving a stolen vehicle in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Authorities said Martin, who had a previous manslaughter conviction and was released early from prison under Alabama’s mandatory supervision law, opened fire on responding officers…