Emanuel Patterson

Case record: Emanuel Patterson

Background

Emanuel Burl Patterson was 23 at the time of the shootings.

Police said Patterson was known to employees and other laborers because he regularly went to the Labor Ready office looking for work as a day laborer. A police spokesman said, “People who know him say he is a very unstable individual,” and he did not elaborate.

Madison County District Attorney Tim Morgan said Patterson previously had only minor run-ins with the law.

Chester Horton said Patterson moved in early last week at the single-story brick apartment building where the siege ended. Horton described Patterson as “a strange guy” who seemed aloof and quiet.

The offence

The shootings occurred about 6:30 a.m. in the lobby of Labor Ready Inc., where as many as 15 people were gathered waiting for work.

Police said the violence erupted in the lobby of Labor Ready Inc. after two groups of men began arguing over a CD player. Police said Patterson then made a remark about settling the argument, pulled out a gun and opened fire.

Michael Tucker Jr. reported that the argument “was all over something about CDs and $20.” Tucker also said, “There was some guys picking at (the gunman) and pushing him, laughing at him” and that “They pushed him into a corner.” Tucker said Patterson “stepped out, stepped back in and immediately started shooting.” Tucker stated: “He shot the first guy in the head and then shot another guy and tried to shoot a woman,” and “He just started pointing the gun all over.”

A police spokesman, Wendell Johnson, said: “A fight broke out among two groups of men over a CD player.”

Police said Patterson shot at officers early in the standoff, and no one was hit.

Patricia Johnson, 38, told The Huntsville Times that the gunman turned his handgun on her and pulled the trigger, but the weapon did not fire. She ran into a closet where three or four people were hiding.

Investigation

Madison County District Attorney’s office spokeswoman Heather Douglas said Patterson was charged with capital murder and also with attempted murder.

Police officials tracked Patterson to the address he had put on his job applications. Authorities turned off the building’s electricity in near-freezing temperatures during the standoff.

During the standoff, officers surrounded Patterson’s apartment building and evacuated everyone nearby.

Police Lt. Vince Dauro said he found two of the dead on the floor of an entryway inside the building. Dauro said two other victims were on the ground outside: one dead and the other with fatal wounds who died at a hospital.

Arrest and detention

Patterson surrendered after an hours-long standoff at his apartment building. Patterson was jailed without bond, and there was no record of him having an attorney yet.

Trial

No trial proceedings were provided in the case record.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided in the case record.

Appeals

No appeals information was provided in the case record.

Outcome

Four men were killed during the shootings and a fifth man was wounded but survived.

The dead were identified as:

• Billy Knox Sr., 61, of Huntsville
• Billy Knox Jr., 22, of Huntsville
• Benjamin Ferguson, 47, of Huntsville
• David Seiler, 46, a Tennessee man; his hometown was not immediately available

Police said Benjamin Ferguson was killed as he ran down the front steps, and David Seiler was shot on the front steps and died at a hospital.

Police said a fifth man, Royce Henderson, 46, of Huntsville, was shot in the leg and survived.

Aftermath

Hours after the shootings, Patterson surrendered following the standoff.

Patterson died on January 21, 2012.

Other details

Labor Ready was described as the nation’s largest provider of temporary manual labor for light industry and small businesses. Labor Ready was based in Tacoma, Wash.

The Labor Ready office was next to a building that housed law enforcement agencies, including state troopers and investigators for the sheriff’s department.

Police Chief Compton Owens described the carnage as “a scene that words cannot describe.”

Madison County District Attorney Tim Morgan said capital murder charges were likely. He stated conviction could carry the death penalty or life in prison. Morgan added that capital murder charges were likely.

Heather Douglas said a capital murder charge carries a possible death sentence if convicted.

David Seiler’s hometown was not immediately available.