Testimony: Officers concealed from Perkins before fatal shooting

Yahoo

26-03-2025

Mar. 26—At the immunity hearing Tuesday that will decide if former Decatur police officer Mac Bailey Marquette is tried for murder, four witnesses testified, including an officer who acknowledged that police may initially have been hidden from Steve Perkins' view as he walked outside of his house the night his truck was repossessed and he allegedly threatened the tow truck driver.
Every seat in Morgan County Circuit Judge Charles Elliott's courtroom was filled as supporters of both the Perkins and Marquette families packed the room. Steve Perkins' widow, Catrela, and his older brother, Nick, sat with the prosecution, while Marquette sat alongside his defense team.
Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson and Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery represented the state. Marquette was represented by Liz Young and Brett Bloomston of Birmingham.
The defense called as their first witness, Caleb Combs, the tow truck driver who attempted to repossess Perkins' white GMC Sierra truck after 1 a.m. on Sep. 29, 2023.
"What happened during your first visit to the Perkins' residence?" Bloomston asked Combs.
"I started to back up to the vehicle, and I heard the garage door open up," Combs replied. "I stopped to see what was going on and I noticed a man come from under the garage door with a pistol."
Combs said Perkins told him to drop his "f***ing truck" and to get off his property. He said Perkins had a firearm aimed 6 or 8 inches from his chest.
Next on the stand was Christopher Mukadam, one of the Decatur police officers with Marquette who was on scene at the Perkins residence.
Mukadam testified that although what Perkins did by threatening Combs was considered menacing, Combs told them he did not want to press charges if Perkins would just surrender the truck.
Bloomston asked Mukadam if he had ever responded to a vehicle repossession call in which the owner was hostile.
"Back in July of that year, we responded to a call on Lafayette Street where the homeowner was acting hostile," Mukadam said.
When asked if he was lawfully allowed to be there on Lafayette Street, Mukadam replied he was.
Mukadam said he was only at Perkins' residence to "keep the peace."
Anderson then questioned Mukadam and asked if he believed he was keeping the peace by showing up at Perkins' residence unannounced and they could have resolved the situation a different way.
"It could have been handled differently, there's many different ways," Mukadam said. "But there was nothing wrong with standing by and watching because we were following all the training that we had."
Anderson asked Mukadam why officers didn't simply knock on Perkins' door, to which Mukadam responded that it was a civil matter unrelated to them and that they were only there for the tow truck driver's protection.
He then asked Mukadam if it was possible he and his fellow officers may have been hidden from Perkins' view.
"You don't consider yourself as being hidden from Mr. Perkins?" Anderson said.
"Uh — you could say that," Mukadam said, hesitating.
"I'm asking you," Anderson replied.
Mukadam said officers are trained at the police academy to use concealment in certain situations.
"So, you agree with me now that you were concealed from Mr. Perkins," Anderson said.
"Yes," Mukadam replied.
Body camera footage from Mukadam and former officer Joey Williams was shown in the courtroom. Immediately after Perkins exited his house and confronted the tow truck driver, several shots could be heard from Marquette on the footage. Williams' footage was seen from the passenger side of Perkins' truck and Mukadam's footage was from across the street.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Special Agent Jamie King testified, while describing slow-motion bodycam footage, that Perkins initially pointed his flashlight-equipped gun at Combs, then at Marquette, but raised his gun away from Marquette immediately before Marquette began shooting the first of what appeared to be 18 bullets. King also said the bullet in Perkins' gun was not chambered.
Twice in the hearing, Elliott chastised both Perkins and Marquette supporters for unruly behavior. The second time, he threatened to clear the courtroom if they continued.
After eight hours of evidence, arguments, and witness testimony from both the state and defense, Elliott announced the hearing would resume Wednesday morning.
"I doubt, based on the evidence presented today, that I will have an order (Wednesday)," Elliott said. "I highly doubt that."
He warned that if more unruly behavior from the Perkins and Marquette supporters continues Wednesday, they will be charged with disorderly conduct.
"I will halt proceedings and those people will be taken into custody," Elliott said.
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