SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A late-night domestic dispute ended with a woman suffering a gunshot wound and a 53-year-old Huntsville man behind bars, according to the Huntsville Police Department.
Officers initially responded Sunday night, Aug. 23, to a report of a domestic disturbance on 11th Street. Police said the caller reported that the couple involved had already left the residence in a vehicle and provided officers with a description of the car.
Officers soon located a matching vehicle in the 3800 block of Governors Drive. Inside, they found a woman suffering from a single gunshot wound. Emergency responders transported her to a local hospital.
Police described the woman’s injuries as serious but not life-threatening.
Investigators allege that an argument between the couple escalated and that 53-year-old Samie Lee Runels Jr. shot the woman. Police said Runels then left the vehicle and returned to his residence on 13th Street.
Officers located Runels at the residence and took him into custody without further incident. He was charged with second-degree domestic violence–aggravated assault and booked into the Madison County Jail on a $25,000 bond, according to WAFF.
The charge is an allegation, and Runels is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case highlights the potentially deadly escalation of domestic disputes. Law-enforcement and victim-advocacy organizations encourage people facing threats or violence from an intimate partner to seek help and, when immediate danger exists, contact 911.
Police had not released the woman’s name or additional information about what led to the argument. The investigation remained active as of the latest report.