Opelika Police Department, Alabama
End of Watch: Monday, October 4, 1993
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 18 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 4, 1993
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Both executed
Sergeant Motley was shot and killed after being notified that a child in the parking lot needed help while he was picking up supplies at a local store. Sergeant Motley located an adult male and the child in a car in the parking lot. As he approached the vehicle the man pulled out a firearm and exchanged gunfire with Sergeant Motley. Both men were wounded in the exchange.
Sergeant Motley took cover in his patrol car and put out an emergency broadcast as his car rolled through the parking lot. The man's female companion, who was on a pay phone at the time of the initial shooting, approached Sergeant Motley's patrol car and shot him several more times. Sergeant Motley was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. Both suspects were convicted and sentenced to death. The female suspect was executed on May 10, 2002, and the male suspect was executed on August 4, 2005.
Sergeant Motley had served with the agency for 18 years. He survived by his wife and four children.