(RepublicanJournal.org) – An Alabama man who was a central figure in an award-winning podcast died during a standoff with local law enforcement. Officers from the Woodstock Police Department reportedly responded to a late-night call for assistance, only to find the man barricaded in a residence. The responders allege that the man brandished a firearm prior to police opening fire.
Reports indicate that 32-year-old Joseph Tyler Goodson died as a result of his gunshot injuries. He allegedly engaged in a standoff when police arrived just after midnight on Sunday, October 3. Police haven’t disclosed any further information, and they haven’t offered a statement on the nature of the original call.
The “S-Town” podcast, which premiered in 2017, made Goodson a local and national celebrity. The show chronicles an alleged murder and related scandals that local resident John B. McLemore, who worked as a vintage clock restorer, had reported to journalist Brian Reed. The reporter investigated the claims, piecing together a scandalous narrative.
Goodson had worked for McLemore and said he’d viewed the man as a father figure. McLemore reportedly killed himself using cyanide while Reed was still filming the podcast in 2015. Goodson was later arrested for removing items from the deceased’s home, but he insisted that everything he took was his own recovered property. He claimed that anyone who watched “S-Town” would know that McLemore wanted him to have the items and expressed dismay that the documentary couldn’t play in the courtroom. The small-time celebrity eventually pleaded guilty to third-degree counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, and theft of property.
Police are still investigating the shooting, but the findings will go to the county’s district attorney. The Washington Post adds that there’s no word on whether the officers involved in the incident, who’ve remained unnamed in the press, will receive any disciplinary action for the death. Goodson leaves behind three children.
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