Hundreds attend funeral for Steve Perkins on Saturday
Oct. 7—The parking lot of Wheeler Chapel Church in Courtland was overflowing Saturday morning and parked cars lined Alabama 20 for a half mile east and half mile west of the church as hundreds streamed into the funeral service for Stephen Clay Perkins.
Perkins was fatally shot by a Decatur police officer at about 1:50 a.m. Sept. 29 in the front yard of his Ryan Drive Southwest home. Audio from neighbors' security cameras indicate 18 shots were fired rapidly, and the family said seven of them struck Perkins. He died soon after at Huntsville Hospital. Police and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which has taken over the investigation, say Perkins pointed a gun toward a police officer.
His 11 a.m. funeral Saturday backed up traffic on westbound Alabama 20 for about 10 miles. Courtland police were at the church to assist those trying to park.
A protest march Friday evening led to the arrest by Decatur police of at least three people on charges of disturbing the peace. They were each released after posting a $300 bond, according to jail records. One was from Huntsville, one from Madison and one from Trinity, according to court records.
According to his obituary, Perkins, 39, was born in Hillsboro to Zelma Clay Perkins and the late James "Bobby" Perkins. He graduated from East Lawrence High School in 2002, after which he moved to Decatur. He was employed at J.M. Smuckers Co. and was "an avid fitness enthusiast," according to the obituary.
He is survived by his wife, Catrela, and two daughters.
— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.
