UPDATE (4:24 p.m.): Officials with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office have confirmed that the inmate who died was Robert Harris. Alabama’s State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death.
Harris was a former Mobile police officer but resigned in March after being put under investigation for allegations that he had inappropriate contact with a minor. On June 10, Harris was arrested and taken to the Washington County Jail after he was tased, shot at and crashed his car into a convenience store, according to deputies.
Officials with MPD said one of their current officers was driving his department vehicle home around midnight on Highway 43 near Johnson Road when he saw Harris in the road. A McIntosh officer also responded to the scene. Mobile police said at the time of the incident, Harris “intentionally struck” the Mobile officer’s vehicle. Harris was allegedly “acting erratic and combative while making suicidal statements.”
Officers said Harris pulled an object from behind his back as if it were a weapon, which led to the McIntosh officer hitting Harris with his taser. The tasing had no effect on Harris, according to police, and, because of this, the Mobile officer shot at Harris twice, missing both times.
Police said Harris later got into his vehicle and attempted to leave the scene but then crashed into a convenience store, which is when officers were able to take him into custody. Harris was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and attempting to elude, according to an MPD press release.
