DECATUR, Ala. — The Decatur Personnel Board has extended the stay on appeal hearings for officers involved in the fatal shooting of resident Steve Perkins. The board received a joint petition on July 23, 2024, from legal counsel representing former officers Vance Summers, Joey Williams, Bailey Marquette, and Christopher Mukadam, seeking to delay hearings originally set for January 25, 2024.
After reviewing the petition, the board approved the extension, postponing the hearings indefinitely.
The Personnel Board set a deadline of January 22, 2025, for Summers, Williams, Marquette, and Mukadam to notify in writing whether they intend to proceed with the appeal process. The board says that failure to meet this deadline will result in the appeal process closing, maintaining current disciplinary actions without further review.
Previous Coverage: The officers who were terminated or suspended after an investigation into the shooting death of Decatur resident Steve Perkins have been granted a postponement of their appeals hearings, which were scheduled to begin next week. The city personnel board confirmed Thursday that a joint petition from former officers Vance Summers, Joey Williams, Mac Bailey Marquette, and Chris Mukadam requesting the pause was granted.
"The Personnel Board carefully considered the basis for the request, found it to be reasonable, and agreed to grant the request," reads a statement, though the board did not detail the reason they had been given.
The board's statement also does not specify that any of the officers have proposed a new date for their hearings. The statement continues, "The Personnel Board must be notified in writing by no later than end of day July 24, 2024 of the parties’ intent to pursue the Appeal Process or the Board will consider the matter closed, and the disciplinary actions imposed will continue to remain enforced without further review."
Mac Bailey Marquette was indicted on a charge of murder connected to Steve Perkins' Sept. 29, 2023 shooting death. Court documents indicate Marquette was the only officer in the incident to have fired shots when they responded to a complaint regarding a vehicle being towed at Perkins' residence.
Regular protests have been commonplace within the City of Decatur since Perkins' death, with family members, citizens, and activists lambasting Police Chief Todd Pinion, members of the city council, and Mayor Tab Bowling for perceived slowness regarding the disciplinary action being handed down. Further complaints have surrounded the fact that only Marquette is currently facing criminal charges.