The home where the incident occurred, seen here Monday morning, Nov. 13, 2017, is located in the Carrol Acres subdivision on the southeast side of the city of Cullman. / Wendy Sack
CULLMAN – The man who allegedly shot and killed his stepfather before reportedly turning the gun on himself Sunday, Nov. 12, is awake, according to Cullman Police Department Sgt. David Nassetta. William Thomas Maddux, 27, who had been listed in critical condition at UAB Hospital since the incident, is now under psychiatric care at the medical center.
“He is awake,” said Nassetta on Monday afternoon. “From what we’ve been told he is awake and is talking, but he is still talking about harming himself, so they’ve got him on the psychiatric floor.”
The deadly double shooting occurred at 1829 Cottonwood Dr. SE in the Carrol Acres subdivision in the city of Cullman. Lt. Gene Bates confirmed in the hours following the incident that the two people shot were stepfather and stepson. Cullman County Coroner Jeremy L. Kilpatrick identified the deceased as Perry Shoemake, 56, of Cullman.
Said Nassetta, “We want to talk to him (Maddux). We’ll probably get a warrant and he’ll be arrested. We just have to wait and see what his status is.”
As to what charges Maddux will be facing, Nassetta would not speculate. “That will be up to the D.A. (Wilson Blaylock). He’ll look over everything and decide.”
Nassetta told The Tribune on Nov. 13, "What we believe is that the suspect, who is also the stepson of the man who is deceased, attempted to come into the house. He was not let in. The suspect ended up coming back and breaking in the back door of the house. He came in and there was an exchange of gunfire. The suspect then attempted to commit suicide. He suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."
As to a possible motive for the shooting, Nassetta said the preliminary investigation has revealed that Maddux was upset because his mother and stepfather would not give him money, but said he thinks there's a lot more to it than that. "That's a pretty big leap to make," he said, "going from being upset over money to shooting someone and attempting to kill yourself."
Maddux was airlifted to UAB Hospital shortly after the incident occurred.
Bates said no one else was injured, although there was someone else at home when the shooting happened.
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