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Officer shoots man in Russellville confrontation

By Josh Ault  bio|e-mail

RUSSELLVILLE, AL (WAFF) - One man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after being shot by a law enforcement officer in an incident in Russellville.

The shooting happened around 5 a.m. in the parking lot behind Concord Baptist Church on Gandy Street.

 Russellville police received a call about two suspicious near the Hometown Pharmacy across the street from the church.  When they arrived they found a man and woman in the church parking lot across the street.

Investigator believe the man and woman were married.  The suspects have been identified as 37-year-old, Regina Renee Cansler, and 49-year-old, Steve Jeffrey Cain, both of Phil Campbell.

Cain gave investigators the alias of Daniel Avvols at the scene, but they later confirmed he was Cain.

After 3 officers briefly spoke with the couple, one of them noticed an object in the Cain's sweatshirt pocket.  They ordered him to show them the object, but he refused.

That is when Cain was tased by officers.

"Which had minimal effects on him," said Chris Hargett, Russellville Police Chief, "He then fled on foot, pulling a weapon and aiming it at the officers."

Cain fired one shot at a Russellville officer, police officials said.

The officer fired a shot back, hitting the suspect in the mid-section.

Fortunately for the suspect, the church parking lot is right next to the ER at Russellville Hospital.  The man eventually flown to Huntsville Hospital for treatment.

Cain had immediate surgery in Huntsville, but his injures are not life threatening.  Cansler is still in custody - charges are pending on both.

"I was sort of shocked," said Fran Lowry, a Russellville resident who lives just a block from where the shooting happened, "You see a lot of things on here, but for it just to be a block down.  I was shocked."

Russellville police officials said three officers were on the scene at the time of the shooting. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case.

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