News and Events

(DOTHAN, Ala.)  On September 10, 2025, just after 10:30 am, the Dothan Communications Center received a call from a man in the 400 block of East Cottonwood Road claiming a large number of federal agents were surrounding him and requesting assistance.  When officers arrived on the scene, they made contact with the suspect who was clearly suffering from a mental health crisis.  In early conversations, the suspect claimed he had explosives that were active, which was verified by officers on scene.  The Special Response Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, and the Bomb Squad all were called to the scene.

A crisis negotiator made contact to begin negotiations with the suspect.  After a period of time, the suspect came outside the home and was apprehended using a bean-bag shotgun.  As the suspect was taken into custody, one of the homemade explosive devices, a makeshift grenade, was found close to where the suspect fell.  Officers immediately evacuated the area and got the suspect to a safe location.  Members of the Bomb Team secured the explosive device.  Statements made by the suspect led the Bomb Team to perform a safety sweep of the suspect’s residence, after a search warrant was signed, to make the scene safe from any other explosive devices.  No more explosive devices were discovered.  The suspect was taken to a local hospital for mental evaluation and was admitted for treatment.  Criminal charges are expected.

No businesses in the area were close enough to be in danger from the explosive devices.  Dothan Prep Academy and a close-by daycare were placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution because of the high level of police presence.  The safety of our citizens is the utmost importance.  The decision to evacuate residents or have them shelter in place comes after consultation with certified explosives technicians on our Bomb Team trained in blast radius estimation.  We want to thank all the residents in the area for their cooperation while the incident unfolded.  We are thankful there were no serious injuries to officers or residents in the area.

-Chief William E. Benny

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(DOTHAN, Ala.)  On August 3, 2025, just after 6:30 pm, Dothan Police responded to an apartment complex in the 2800 block of Fortner Street for reports of a shooting.  When officers arrived on scene, they found two male patients suffering gunshot wounds inside an apartment.  One male patient was shot at least once in the lower leg.  The other male was shot in the upper torso.  Both individuals were transported to local hospitals for treatment.  Criminal investigators and crime scene technicians were called to investigate the circumstances of the shooting.

During the preliminary investigation, it was discovered the two patients, whose relationship was listed as father and son, were involved in a verbal altercation.  At some point during the domestic argument, one of the individuals pulled a firearm.  The other individual responded by pulling his own firearm and shots were fired by both subjects.  Investigators are still trying to determine who the primary aggressor was since one subject is still in the hospital unable to give a statement at this time.

One person was treated and released from the hospital.  The other subject is listed in critical condition at a local hospital.  This is an ongoing investigation.

Domestic violence is a serious issue in the community and around the country.  Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence.  If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, they can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or the House of Ruth at 334-793-2232.