By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore police are awaiting the results of forensics tests from the state crime lab to determine whether foul play might have been involved in the July 26 shooting death of an 84-year-old Atmore man.
Police Chief Chuck Brooks said in a July 29 press release that tests on evidence sent to the state crime lab will determine the direction the investigation takes. Until then, APD investigators will probe the shooting as a possible homicide before closing the case.
Brooks said what started out as a death investigation “will be processed as a homicide and will remain open pending forensic testing results.”
Reports show that city patrol officers were sent around 11 a.m., July 26, to a home on Jack Springs Road, where “a deceased person” was reported. When officers went in, they discovered the body of Willie Ankum.
Police noted that Ankum suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, and investigators were called to the scene. They remained there for several hours but eventually removed the yellow crime scene tape from the property’s perimeter.
While police wait for lab results, Brooks urged anyone with information about Ankum’s death to contact APD’s Investigations Unit at 251-368-9141.