Our View: Quick response needed, and appreciated from local police

Published 1:00 pm Monday, July 8, 2019

Arsenio Floyd was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with attempted murder related to an incident that took place in Lanett on Friday.

The arrest came in the aftermath of some alleged deception on the part of another individual, Charnesse Hightower, and was the result of quick and good police work on behalf of multiple agencies.

At about 12:50 p.m. on Friday, officers with Lanett were dispatched to the 1200 block of East 3rd Avenue for a possible shooting victim. Upon arrival, LPD officers found Jamal Mayfield, who was suffering from three gunshot wounds. He was treated at the scene and taken to East Alabama Medical Center-Lanier in Valley for further medical treatment and later released.

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As officers were responding to the incident in Lanett, nearby the West Point Police Department were responding to a call from a local liquor store. The call was placed by Hightower, who relayed she had shot her ex-boyfriend, Mayfield, in Lanett. During the ensuing investigation, officers determined Hightower had provided false information and that Floyd had allegedly carried out the shooting. Hightower was then charged with hindering prosecution.

After a warrant had been issued for Floyd’s arrest, it was determined he was in nearby Columbus, Georgia. The Columbus PD arrested Floyd shortly thereafter and he will soon be extradited back to Alabama.

In the span of a day, the Lanett and West Point Police Departments responded to separate calls related to the same incident, provided the necessary care to a shooting victim and ensured the victim was transported to a nearby hospital to receive further treatment, and identified false testimony given by a third party who was claiming responsibility for the crime.

Then, with the help of a third agency, were able to ensure the alleged perpetrator was soon thereafter arrested with no additional incident.

The efficiency on behalf of all agencies responding in the face of a complex, evolving case such as this one is to be commended. Police departments routinely deal with matters such as this, and need to be both efficient and accurate in the face of cases that are often multi-layered and present unique challenges to work through. In this case, all agencies responding appear to have done so in the best possible way, and we thank all involved for their good work.