Etowah Co. Sheriff: Suspect emptied gun firing at Sardis City Police Officer after fleeing from middle school

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Authorities have released new information, including the identity of the suspect, who was killed in an officer involved shooting that followed a chase beginning at Sardis Middle School Wednesday.

Investigators say 54-year-old Ian Sullivan, of Boaz, dropped off his child at the school before driving the wrong way in the car drop off line.

The Etowah Co. Sheriff’s Office says when school staff stopped Sullivan, he began arguing with school staff, leading them to call police to help deescalate the situation.

According to Sardis City’s Chief of Police, the responding officer says he smelled alcohol on Sullivan’s breath, and that Sullivan refused to exit his vehicle so the officer could make sure he was safe to drive. Instead, Sullivan took off in his car, fleeing the school.

ECSO says because the officer believed it was a possible DUI and danger to the public, he followed Sullivan, who led the officer on a chase back to his home in the 2800 block of Lawson Gap Road.

That’s when investigators say Sullivan opened fire on that officer, who had no choice but to defend himself, fatally striking and killing Sullivan.

According to Sardis Police Chief, the officer had just undergone training for situations like these.

“He took that class last Tuesday, he went out three days after the class and practiced the techniques that they were teaching, then yesterday (Wednesday) he was involved in the shooting and was able to implement the tactics exactly how they were taught,” said Sardis City Police Chief William Alexander.

ECSO is investigating the incident along with the Jacksonville State Center for Applied Forensics.

The sheriff says Sullivan had no criminal history.

Authorities say the incident was captured on body cam footage and that Sullivan, who allegedly fired first, emptied his weapon of bullets firing at the officer, whose patrol car was disabled due to the heavy damage it sustained in the shootout.

“It’s unfortunate these events occurred the way that they did, but unfortunately when you pull a weapon and fire at someone or a law enforcement officer, the end result should be that you’re fired back at, and unfortunately it resulted in the death of this suspect,” said Etowah Co. Sheriff Jonathon Horton.

The Sheriff also provided the following timeline of events that transpired Wednesday:

7:25 AM : Sardis City police officer arrives Sardis Middle School, talks with Sullivan for roughly nine minutes.

7:34 AM: Sullivan leaves Sardis Middle School in his car, responding officer follows.

7:41 AM: Sullivan and the officer arrive at Sullivan’s driveway. Sullivan exits his car and begins firing at the responding officer. The officer returns fire, at some point striking and killing Sullivan.

7:45 first backup arrived on scene to assist the Sardis City officer.

Etowah Co. Schools superintendent said all the students were inside during the incident at the school, but that the school system is making sure every resource they have is available to those who need it, including Sullivan’s son and other family members.

“Our personnel and our school system they’ve reached out to the family, so we’re in the process of checking on the young man and we will continue to do so throughout this process to avail any services we may have not only to help him but to help the family as well,” said Superintendent Dr. Alan Cosby.

Dr. Cosby says counselors and other resources are available at the school for other staff or students who may need it.

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