25 years later: Impact of Rainbow City ambush that claimed officer's life continues
Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton's career in law enforcement hadn't begun 25 years ago, but you didn't have to be in law enforcement to feel the impact of that day's events.
Members of the Etowah County Drug and Major Crimes Task Force went to a home on Briarcliff Road in Rainbow City on Oct. 10, 1997, to serve a search warrant. Before they made it in the door, they were met with a hail of gunfire from a semi-automatic assault-type rifle.
Chris McCurley, just three weeks after he'd been named commander of the task force, sustained fatal injuries. Rainbow City officer Gary Entrekin, who died in March 2021, lost a leg as a result of the gunshot wounds he suffered. Altoona Officer Khris Yancey and reserve deputy Rick Correll were shot, too; their injuries were less severe.
When Horton joined the Etowah County Sheriff's Office in 2002, the tragedy of that day was still discussed. Now, in his second term as sheriff, it continues to be a painful memory — and a reminder of the dangers officers face.
Anyone entering the sheriff's office likely will see the memorial to McCurley in the lobby; on the east side of the Etowah County Courthouse, a star-shaped monument lists the names of Etowah County officers who died in the line of duty.
The memorial was put in place after — and inspired by — McCurley's death. No line-of-duty deaths since his have been added to the memorial. Those who lead local law enforcement agencies are doing what they can to ensure no more are added.
"At that time, it was mainly shotguns and pistols," Horton said, in the arsenal of most local agencies. When officers were met with an assault-type rifle, with a 100-round drum of ammunition, they were completely outgunned.
After that, Horton recalled, law enforcement agencies here started efforts to get better weaponry. There were public fundraising efforts to get more and better bullet-proof vests for officers.
Horton said he recently looked back at information about the incident, including an interview with the Entrekin, on the 20th anniversary of the shooting.
Keeping officers properly equipped
Entrekin related that then-Rainbow City Mayor Sue Glidewell visited him in the hospital and asked if there was anything she could do. "I said, 'Get these guys some weapons,'" Entrekin recalled.
More:Gary Entrekin looks back at 1997 shootout.
Horton is committed to keeping today's officers properly equipped, and he's not the only law enforcement leader making that commitment.
Rainbow City's new police chief, Camp Yancey, made that pledge to officers and to the city's residents when he was sworn in recently. He was 5 years old when his father, Khris Yancey, was injured in the shootout.
A lot of people "paid a high price" that day, Yancey said, to keep Rainbow City safe, and he learned of the sacrifice some enforcement officers pay as they work to serve and protect the citizenry.
Horton said the Etowah County Law Enforcement Memorial Board was established to keep local residents mindful of those sacrifices.
Fundraiser planned
On the second weekend in October (Oct. 15 this year), law enforcement officers from several agencies man roadblocks at key intersections in the community to raise money for the board's fund. The money goes not only to upkeep for the monument, but to help officers and their families in times of need, such as sickness or a death in the family.
It is a time, Horton said, when people can help support law enforcement families, and honor the sacrifices so many have made.
From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, roadblock sites will be:
Rainbow Drive at the Gadsden Mall
Jack's on Lookout Mountain
East Broad Street and Hood Avenue
Glencoe, at the Big Chief
Steele Station Road and Alabama Highway 77 in Rainbow City
More:Colleagues remember Chris McCurley
In that 12-minute shootout 25 years ago, Gary Entrekin was able to get a radio call out for help, and Rainbow City officers were first to answer that call and fired on the suspects, who were wearing body armor.
Ezra George Peterson was shot in the legs, ending his assault on the officers. He and his girlfriend, Connie Tozzi, were charged with capital murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Peterson was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death. He killed himself in prison in 1999.
Tozzi pleaded guilty to murder and three counts of attempted murder. She received a 40-year sentence and remains in prison. She's been denied parole twice; she is scheduled to be considered again in 2023, according to Alabama Department of Corrections online records.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Fatal law enforcement encounter 25 years ago brought change in weapons
