39-year-old Atmore man dead after intervening in fight

39-year-old Atmore man dead after intervening in fight

A 39-year-old man is dead after Atmore police say he tried to intervene in a fight between a group of men and was shot multiple times.

On Saturday morning, Okeema McCants of Atmore was driving on Martin Luther King Avenue when he witnessed a group of men in a physical altercation and he stopped to intervene, Atmore police spokesperson Darrell McMann said.

Around 10:55 a.m., Atmore police were called to Martin Luther King Avenue and Bragg Street after gunshots were reported. They found McCants, who had been shot multiple times.

The officers administered first aid to McCants until Medstar Ambulance Paramedics arrived and transported him to Atmore Community Hospital, McMann said. McCants died from his injuries at the hospital.

Witnesses gave Atmore police a description of the suspect who shot McCants. Since then, police took Charles Walker, 25, of Atmore, into custody on Saturday afternoon, McMann said.

He was found to have a stolen handgun, with an active warrant for his arrest by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for property theft. Investigators interviewed Walker and charged him with murder, and he’s since been transported to the Escambia County Jail.

Investigators are still working to identify the other people involved in Saturday’s altercation, McMann said.