For slain officer's family, it's still 'very, very hard'

Night of shootingof Eric Freemanvivid a year laterBy NIKI DOYLETimes Staff [email protected]

The details of that night arevivid up to a point.Shewaswrappingasweater

fromBelk thather sonwantedforChristmaswhen thephonerang.Herdaughter-in-lawpicked

upthephone.Paused.Deliveredthe bad news.“Billy’s been shot.”Tearsblurredthedrivetothe

hospital as a mother’s worstnightmareunfolded.Theflash-ing lights of police cars at thehospital were blurry when shearrived.Therestofthenight,thedays following, and even somedaysnow,arenothingbutablur.

In the line of dutyAccordingtohospitalrecords,

36-year-oldHuntsvillepoliceof-ficer William Eric Freemandied at 9:38 a.m. on Dec. 15,2007, a Saturday. To his fami-ly, their Billy, known as Eric tofriendsandfellowofficers,diedthe night before on a southHuntsville curb.Beverly Freeman didn’t fin-

ish her Christmas wrapping.She sat at Huntsville Hospitalthat Friday night a year ago,waiting for word on her son’scondition.Hehadbeenshot inthe face, and the only thingkeeping him alive was a respi-rator.“I sat there andwatchedmy

sondiewhenthey tookhimofftherespirator,” shesaid. “That’ssomething no mother shouldever see.”Eric Freeman’s younger

brother, Jay, who was on dutyatHuntsvilleHospitalinthein-formation technology depart-mentwhenEricwasbroughttothe emergency room, was thelast familymember to hear hisvoice.“Wewere talking about last

year’sChristmasarrangementswhenhe said ‘I’vepulleduponawreck;I’llcallyourightback,’”Jay said. “That’s the last time Italked to him.”Freemangotoutofhiscarat

BaileyCoveRoad just north ofWeatherlyRoadtofind53-year-oldKennethShippsittingonthecurb,hisarminaslingfromre-cent surgery. According to po-lice reports, Shipp had rear-ended a retiredHuntsville po-lice officer at that intersection.Police believed he had beendrinking, according to reports.WhenFreemanandhispart-

ner, Kevin Lambert, went tohelpShippupfromthecurb,hepulledagunfromhisslingandshot Freeman in the face.The call went out, rapid but

clear:“Officerdown,shootinginprogress.”Thecity litupwithdozensof

blue and red lights. Sirensechoed all theway fromBaileyCove toHuntsvilleHospital asa convoy of police cars escort-ed the ambulance carrying thefallen officer.Since he was already at the

hospital,Jayidentifiedhisbroth-er’s body.

‘I knew ... it was bad’PamLand knew something

was wrong when Jay’s wifemisspelled her own husband’sname.Pam, Eric’s older sister, was

athomeinstantmessaginghersister-in-lawwhenthecallcame.Kristen Freeman told Pam tohold on just a minute; thephonewas ringing and Bever-ly was wrapping a Christmaspresent for Eric.

Local&StateLaw & Order, A14 | Obituaries, A16

A13The Huntsville Times | Sunday, December 14, 2008

On the NetWhere we breakmore news everyday of the year.

Bear necessitiesLifeSouth CommunityBloodCenters acrossNorthAlabama are holding a BearNecessities BBllooooddDDrriivveetoday and this coming Sat-urday. All donors will sign aspecial note that will be at-tached to a teddy bear thatwill be delivered to a childin local hospitals. Donorswill also be entered towin aNintendoWii andWii Fit.Call your local LifeSouthcenter for specific times ateach location. TheHuntsville center is at 2801Westcorp Blvd., S,W. Thenumber is 888-795-2707.

Wrappers neededHandsOnGreaterHuntsville’s PajamaPro-gramneeds lots of vvoolluunn--tteeeerrss ttoowwrraapp ppaajjaammaass aannddcchhiillddrreenn’’ss bbooookkss on TuesdayandWednesday from5p.m. to 8 p.m. Please bringscissors, and you can alsobringwrapping paper, tis-sue paper, gift bags, rib-bons, bows and name tags.Formore information andto find outwhere this willtake place, call 539-7797, ortoll free at 877-567-8723, [email protected].

Food bank feeWhydo nonprofits have topay a 14-cent per pound feefor food received from theFoodBank ofNorthAlaba-ma? SSeeeeAAsskk uuss.. AA1144

Gifts for older kidsCChhrriissttmmaass CChhaarriittiieess YYeeaarrRRoouunndd, 2840 Jordan Lane,has an urgent need for giftsfor older children. For boys,ages 7-10 – hand-heldgames; CDplayers; foot-balls; basketballs; soccerballs; action figures. Girls,ages 10-15 – dolls, CDplay-ers; age-appropriate jewel-ry; age-appropriatemake-up. All donations are taxdeductible and remain inMadisonCounty. Items areneeded by Tuesday butwillbe accepted throughDec.24. Formore information,call HandsOnGreaterHuntsville at 539-7797 ortoll free at 877-567-8723, ore-mail to [email protected]/.

Road watchConstruction is underwayto turn the intersection ofLLiinnddsseeyy LLaannee and FFoorrrreessttSSttrreeeett in Athens into aroundabout. A diagramonhow to properlymaneuverthe roundabout is posted atwww.athensal.us.

Read it MondayAfter giving newMayorPaul Finley time to get hisffiirrsstt bbuuddggeett together, theMadisonCity Council willreview the $29.5millionspending plan this week inadvance of aDec. 22 vote.

4 indictedAMobile grand jury has re-turned four indictments ina probe of financial aidtheft at BBiisshhoopp SSttaattee CCoomm--mmuunniittyy CCoolllleeggee.. IndictedFridaywere:MarleneFrench, 37; French’s ex-husband, RobertMansfieldHorn, 34; EmmaAlexan-der Perkins, 55; andChar-lotte AnnPowe, 52. Frenchfaces two counts of first-de-gree theft of property by de-ception. Each of the othersis chargedwith one countof first-degree theft of prop-erty by deception.

Contact usCCiittyy eeddiittoorr SShheellllyy [email protected] eeddiittoorr MMiikkee [email protected]

Blog with The TimesTThhee llaatteesstt nneewwss::http://blog.al.com/breaking/AAsskk UUss::http://blog.al.com/askus/SSppeecciiaall RReeppoorrttss::http://blog.al.com/ht/

For slain officer’s family,it’s still ‘very, very hard’

No trial date yetfor Shipp, jailedsince ’07 arrestBy NIKI DOYLETimes Staff [email protected]

Accused cop killer KennethShipp is awaiting a state-or-deredmental evaluation tode-termine if he’s competent tostand trial.Shipp,53,pleadednotguilty

by reason ofmental disease ordefect during his Nov. 26 ar-raignment. A grand jury in-dicted him in September on acapital murder charge in theshooting death of Officer EricFreeman.He has been held in the

Madison County jail withoutbond since his arrest Dec. 14,2007.The state is pushing for the

death penalty. Shipp’s lawyer,Robert Tuten, said the possi-bility of death rowchanges thedynamicof theupcomingtrial.“It’sliketryingthecasetwice,”

Tuten said Friday. “Wehave toprepareforboththetrialandthesentencing.”The case has been assigned

toCircuitJudgeBruceWilliams,who has not scheduled a datefor the trial.Police said Freemanhad re-

sponded to a wreck on BaileyCoveRoadwhereShipp’s 1994DodgeDakotahadrear-endeda2005silverChevroletSubur-ban belonging to a retired

Huntsville police officer. Shippwassittingonthecurbwhenhearrived.Freeman and his partner,

Kevin Lambert, were helpingShipptohisfeetwhenhepulleda pistol from an arm sling andshotFreemanintheface,policesaid.Freeman’s wife, Leslie, has

filedawrongfuldeathsuitseek-

Accused killerfaces civil suit,mental exam

Eric Schultz/Huntsville Times

Flowers still mark the place where Eric Freeman was shot on Bailey Cove Road just north ofWeatherly Road in southeast Huntsville.

Special to The Times

Kenneth Shipp has pleaded notguilty by reason of mentaldisease or defect.


Huntsville police officer WilliamEric Freeman died at 9:38 a.m.on Dec. 15, 2007, a Saturday.

Susanna Phillipssays hometownsupport thrillingBy JON BUSDEKERTimes Arts [email protected]

NEW YORK – Nervousbecause everyone will bewatching her.Overwhelmed because it’s

The Metropolitan Opera –arguably the world’s mostprestigious opera house.Readytoshowtherestofthe

world a voice that Huntsvilleaudiences already know andlove.That sums up how Susan-

na Phillips, Huntsville’s mostcelebratedsoprano,feelstoday.OnMonday night, Phillips

will make her debut at TheMetropolitan Opera in NewYork City. The 27-year-oldsingingsensationwillplaytheroleofMusettainPuccini’s“LaBohème.”

“I feel more excited thananythingelse,”PhillipstoldTheTimesSaturdayinanexclusiveinterview.

Shehas beenpreparing forMonday night’s performancesince accepting the role backin February.Phillips, who attended

Huntsville’sRandolphSchooland laterTheJuilliardSchoolinNewYork, gained nationalrecognitionin2005whenshe

Please see AACCCCUUSSEEDDonAA1177 Please see FFAAMMIILLYY on AA1177

Beloved localsoprano set forherMet debut


On Monday night, SusannaPhillips will make her debut atThe Metropolitan Opera inNew York City.

Please see DDEEBBUUTT onAA1155

Double serving of Christmas parades

Robin Conn/Huntsville Times

Area residents were treatedto morning and afternoonChristmas parades Saturdaywith festivities in New Hopeand Madison. Above, a horsedecorated with antlers pulls acart down Main Drive in NewHope. At left, Santa and Mrs.Claus ride in the Madisonparade. For more photos fromthe parades, see A20.

Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times

Pamtyped“okay”andgotuptomakeaquicktriptotherest-room. When she walked backbythescreen,shehadamessagefromKristenthatJaywasonthephone. Anormallymeticuloustypist, Kristenmisspelled Jay’sname.“The next thing she wrote

was‘Billy’sbeenshot,’”Pamsaid.“I freaked. The only people athome were me and my son. Isaid ‘Get your shoes on rightnow.’Beingakid,hesaid, ‘WhyMom?’ I said, ‘Just do it. Don’targue with me; do it now.Uncle Billy’s been shot, and Idon’t care if it’s in the toe,we’regoing to the hospital.’ ”Thelightsoverwhelmedher.

Reportersclosedintheminuteshegotoutofhercar.Shecouldremember thinking, “How dothey know I’m his sister?” Be-fore she could ask, she wassweptintotheemergencyroomby aHuntsville police officer.Officers lined every hallway

toherbrother’sroom.Pamsaidshehadneverseensomanypo-lice officers in one place. Thecrowd of badges parted as herpoliceescortpracticallydraggedher to their destination.“They were shoulder-to-

shoulder, all theway down thehallway, every hallway at everyturn,andtheywereallsaluting,”she said. “I knew at that pointthat it was bad.”

Growing up blueBeverly Freeman always

knewher sonwould be a cop.WilliamEric Freeman, who

decided at age 12 that he nolongerwantedtobecalledBillyand instead would go by thenameEric,nevergrewoutofhischildhood fascinationwithpo-lice.Whenhewasonly twoyears

old,hesatinfrontoftheTVandwatchedpoliceshowssimilarto“COPS.”Beverlysaidhewouldthrow

a fit if he wasn’t home in timetowatch his show.“Mostthingslikethischildren

grow out of, but he grewmoreintense,”shesaid.“Itdidn’tsur-prise me at all when he camehome and said he had appliedfor the police academy.“I was so proud of him, but

my heart dropped to the floor.I think going to war is easierthanbeingacoponthestreets.”When Eric and his family

livedinMissouri,hehadhisfirstreal interaction with police.The family car wrecked andcrashed into a river, and localpolice officers helped Eric andhis family to safety. From thatpointon,thepolicewerehishe-roes, Beverly said.PamsaidEricchosetowatch

“SmokeyandtheBandit”ononescreenatadrive-inmoviewhileshe watched “Saturday NightFever”onanotherwiththerestof the family. She can still pic-ture her brother in his favoritebrown shirt with horse-ridingcowboysonthelapels,hiscurlybrown hair framing his freck-ledfacewhilehedancedaroundthehouse singing “RhinestoneCowboy.”Matchbox cars littered the

Freeman’shomewhenthechil-drenweregrowingupinBatonRouge,La.Erichadalargecol-lectionofmodelpolicecars, firetrucks,anypublicsafetyvehiclehe could get his hands on, hismother said.

Ifthecardidn’tmeshwithhispolice theme,hewouldpaint ittomatch.

‘He was human’Alwaysthefamilycomedian,

Eric pulled a few pranks hisfamily wouldn’t let him forget.He and a friend planted a

snakeskininhismother’s laun-dry basket one night andlaughed quietly behind herback while she franticallysearchedthehouseforthecrea-ture that had left the skin.He would wrap strings

around his ears at school, pin-ning back his ears when theteacherwaslookingandpullingthe string to flap them aroundwhen her backwas turned.Likeanyolderbrother,hetor-

mentedhisyoungersibling,al-ways chasinghimand stealinghis peanut butter sandwiches,Pam said. He would never getup and fix his own food – hewouldwait until Jay came intotheroom,thenwouldchaseandtackle his brother, keeping upthe act well into adulthood. Itbecame a family tradition, in away.Beforehebecameanofficer,

Erichadhisrule-breakingmo-ments. Jay said he rememberssneaking intoTiger Stadium–EricwasahugeLSUfan–whiletheirfatherwasattendingclass-esattheuniversity.Theywouldinevitably get caught, but thatwas part of the fun.“Ericwasahumanbeing;he

wasn’t just a cop,” Jay said. “Hewashuman just like the rest ofus.Hehada lifeother thanpo-lice work.”Eric, a graduate of Hazel

GreenHighSchool, lovednoth-ing more than his family. Hiswife, Leslie, and their children–Cole,Cameron,Austin,Emily

andElijah –were the center ofhis universe, Beverly said.LeslieFreeman’s lawyersad-

vised her to avoid publicityuntiltheconclusionofthecrim-inalandciviltrialsinvolvingherhusband’s death, a policespokesman said.

Fulfilling a dreamEric served as an officer in

Ardmore for a few years, wait-ing for a chance to join theHuntsvillePoliceDepartment.HetookajobatHuntsvilleHos-pital,workingwithJay,untilhefinally got his chance.After only three months of

working at the south precinct,hecaughtaWal-Martthiefthatother officers hadn’t been ableto catch.

He had been on theHuntsville force three yearswhen he died.His family remembers him

for his dedication to God – hewas a church-going man whoevennamedhispaintballbusi-ness accordingly, D.O.G. forDepending on God – and hisdedication to family.He was well-loved in the

community,asevidencedbytheoutpouring of support for hisfamily after his death, Pamsaid.“Weasafamilywouldloveto

thankthecommunityforevery-thing they have done, andwouldliketotell themandthatwe’redoingbetter,”shesaidFri-day night. “It’s still very, veryhard;extremelyhard.Butwe’redoing better.“Remember to seize theday.

Youdon’tknowwhensomeonewill be taken away so quickly.Especially during the holidaytimes,everybodyneedsahand,whether they know it or not.”

One year laterThey’ll be at his grave today.The family dog, Casey, even

understands the gravity of theoccasion.Thedog,whowrestledwithEricfromthetimeshewasapuppytothetimehedied,tip-toes across the cemeterywhentheytakeherthere,Beverlysaid.Sheavoids theheadstones andliesquietlybyEric’sgravewhileBeverly talks to her son.Tonightthey’llcookEric’s fa-

vorite foods. Mashed potatoesand gravy will no doubt be onthemenu.Tomorrow,JaywillgetEric’s

badge number tattooed on hisarm. It’s his first, and probablyhis last, tattoo.And every day after that for

the rest of her life, Beverly willwalk by the glass case contain-ing the dozens of medals andawardsthathersonearned,andshewill tell him she loves him.

0000047321-03

476-1488Roger McMunn

General Contractor

0000052022-02

McMunn

New Construction • Additions • SunroomsKitchen & Bathroom Renovations

Roofing • Masonry Work

Construction

ingunspecifiedmonetarydam-agesfromShipp,freezinghisas-setsuntil a jury canmakeade-termination in the case.Her lawyers, David Marsh

and DerrickMills of Birming-ham,areaskingforajudgmentin an amount in accordancewith the enormity and the“gravity of the wrong” that has

been committed, according tocourt documents.Shipp’slawyershaveaskedfor

astayinthecaseuntil thecrim-inal charges are disposed.Shipp is an engineer and a

former employee of the U.S.Army Aviation and MissileCommand on Redstone Arse-nal.He listedhis annual salaryas $137,000 and claimed twodependents on his applicationfor a court-appointed lawyer.

AccusedContinued frompage AA1133

FamilyContinued frompage AA1133

Eric Schultz/Huntsville Times

A police car passes a wind chime and flowers that still mark theplace where Officer Eric Freeman was shot on Bailey Cove Roadjust north of Weatherly Road in southeast Huntsville.

“Eric was a humanbeing; he wasn’t just acop. He was human justlike the rest of us. Hehad a life other than

police work.”JJaayy FFrreeeemmaannBrother

Company gets ridof oldHQ, keepsfew employeesThe Associated Press

DOTHAN – Little is leftfrom Movie Gallery’s two-decade run in its Alabamahometown.LongamainstayinDothan,

thevideochain’stopexecutivesare now in Wilsonville, Ore.,wherethemanagementstruc-ture relocated after the com-pany filed for bankruptcy in2007.The company’s 70,000-

square-footformerheadquar-tersinanoldmall isupforsaleor lease, andonlyahandfulofcentral employees remain.Company spokesman Cliff

Torng saidMovieGallerywillmaintain apresence in its oldhometown,butnotlikebefore.“Itmakes sense forus right

now to have some part of theoperation there,” said Torng.“Your executive team sits inOregon, but there is still a lotof experience located not justin Dothan, but all across thecountry.”MovieGalleryfiledforbank-

ruptcy protection two yearsafteritpurchasedtheOregon-

based Hollywood Video. Thecompany has struggled eversincebecauseofdebtfromthedeal.Torng said the company is

trying to reduce costs andconsolidate services, part ofwhichisjettisoningtheformerheadquarters. He said thecompany is currently lookingfor more suitable office spacein Dothan for its remainingemployees.Torngsaidhedidnotknow

how many the company ex-pected to retain inDothan,orforhowlong. “Thedifficulty islookingintothecrystalball,”hesaid. “It’shardtomakealong-termprojection.”MovieGallerycallsitselfthe

second-largest video rentalcompany in North Americawith about 3,300 stores in all50 U.S. states and Canada. Ithas announced more than1,000 store closings since theHollywoodVideo deal.

Movie Gallery’shometown seesjobsmoving out

Blackburn saysappreciate lessonsfrom ‘front porch’The Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. – ATennessee congresswomanhas urged graduates at Mis-sissippi State University,whethernativetotheSouthornot, to appreciate the region,especially what she called itslessonslearnedfromthefrontporch.Rep.MarshaW.Blackburn,

R-Tenn.,addressedgraduatesat both the Friday night andSaturdaymorning programs.

The Laurel, Miss., nativepraised Southerners finelytuned internal clocks, ex-plaining, “We know therhythms of life are to be en-joyedandnot tobe spedpast.“Anything worth doing is

worthdoingwell,andpoorde-cisionsarealmostalwaysmadeinarush.Whenyourushtothefinish line, you are speedingpast opportunities.“As you travel in life, listen

to your internal clock and goat your own pace, a pace thatreflects the studied contem-plation of the front porch,”Blackburn said.

Tennessee lawmaker urgesgrads to ‘go at own pace’

Movie Gallery filed forbankruptcy two yearsafter it purchasedHollywood Video.

The Huntsville Times, Sunday, December 14, 2008 A17

For slain officer's family, it's still 'very, very hard'

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