Alabama law enforcement fatally shoot 2 men in separate traffic stops

BALDWIN, COUNTY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama law enforcement fatally shot two men during separate traffic stops on Sunday and Monday, according to separate statements from officials.

In the northern part of the state, law enforcement in Morgan County fatally shot Drew Patterson Banks, 41, on Monday afternoon, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is leading the investigation into his death.

Priceville police officers tried to initiate a traffic stop because Banks was driving a car that was reported stolen, according to the statement. Banks refused to pull over and led officers on a pursuit through multiple highways that also involved officers from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.

When Banks finally got out of the car, he was holding what officers believed to be a handgun, according to the statement. An unidentified officer shot him, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. It was then discovered that Banks was holding a realistic replica of a handgun.

Separately, a deputy from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department fatally shot Logan Tyler Swanson, 24, on Sunday evening during a traffic stop in Robertsdale, according to a statement from Al Tolbert, chair of the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit, which is investigating Swanson’s death.

There was a physical altercation between the two deputies and Swanson, who pulled out was a gun. The statement did not specify if one or both deputies shot Swanson. He was pronounced dead on the scene.