Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Alabama
End of Watch: Saturday, January 18, 1997
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: January 18, 1997
Weapon Used: Automobile; Alcohol involved
Suspect Info: Convicted of manslaughter
Deputy Sheriff Henry Brooks was struck and killed by a drunk driver while he was investigating a crime scene on I-59, east of Roebuck Parkway.
An earlier pursuit of robbery suspects had ended when the suspect vehicle crashed into a police car. Deputy Brooks was guarding the crash scene while waiting for a crime scene technician to arrive.
The drunk driver struck Deputy Brooks and attempted to flee but was apprehended a short distance away. At the time of the crash, the 35-year-old suspect was under the influence of alcohol and tranquilizers. The original charges of homicide were reduced to manslaughter in court. He was paroled in 2013.
Deputy Brooks was an Alabama Air National Guard veteran and served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for 17 years. He is survived by his wife and two small children.
In 2017, Interstate 59, between mile markers 135 and 136, became the Deputy Sheriff Henry Lloyd Brooks Memorial Highway.