Wyt Carter
Wytasha Carter (born c. 1974; died January 13, 2019 in Birmingham) was a sergeant in the Birmingham Police Department who was killed on duty.
Carter was a drum major for the Phillips High School marching band and graduated in 1993. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He obtained a bachelor's certificate from the unaccredited Pakistan-based website calling itself Belford University. After leaving the service in 2002 he joined the Shelby County Sheriff's Office as a correctional officer. He soon transferred to the Leeds Police Department, then, in 2007, to the Fairfield Police Department where he worked as a detective, a sergeant and a member of the department's Special Response Team.
Carter joined the Birmingham Police Department in 2011 and has been assigned to the West Precinct, High Intensity Community Oriented Police Patrol (HICOPP), and as a school resource officer for the Youth Services Unit at Jackson-Olin High School and Woodlawn High School.
On April 14, 2016, Carter helped rescue two children trapped under the collapsed roof of a home in Bush Hills. He was promoted to sergeant in February 2018.
Early in the morning of Sunday, January 13, 2019 Carter responded to a call for back-up when patrol officer Lucas Allums, working undercover to investigate car break-ins, saw two males appearing to try car door handles on the 900 block of 5th Avenue North, near the 4 Seasons Bar & Grill. They approached one of the suspects and began patting him down. When they found what they believed to be a weapon, they asked about it. The 31-year-old suspect then grabbed his gun and began firing at the officers. Both were struck, and one of the suspects was wounded by return fire. All three were taken to UAB Hospital where Carter was pronounced dead and Allums spent nine days in intensive care for a critical injury. A second 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody at the scene but later released without being charged. Another suspect is sought. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the incident. No charges have been filed.
Carter was survived by his wife, Tiphanie, and children. His funeral services were held at Legacy Arena
References
- Robinson, Carol (January 13, 2019) "Slain Birmingham officer Sgt. Wytasha Carter ‘wanted to make a difference’." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (January 14, 2019) "Governor orders flags flown at half-staff following shooting death of Birmingham police Sgt. Wytasha Carter." The Birmingham News