Former Huntsville Police Officer William “Ben” Darby ultimately received probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the on-duty shooting death of 49-year-old Jeffrey Parker, a suicidal man who had called 911 from his own home.
The shooting happened on April 3, 2018, in Huntsville, Alabama. According to the City of Huntsville, officers were dispatched to Parker’s home on Deramus Avenue after a report of a suicidal person armed with a gun.
Officers Genisha Pegues and Justin Beckles arrived first. According to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals opinion, Pegues saw Parker sitting on a couch with what appeared to be a weapon pointed at his own head. She began talking with him, kept her handgun lowered, and later testified that she believed the situation was de-escalating.
Darby arrived with a shotgun. The appellate opinion says Parker was still holding the object to his own head when Darby and Beckles entered the home and began ordering him to put it down. Within seconds of entering, Darby fired the fatal shot.
The object Parker was holding was later determined to be a flare gun that had been painted black. The appellate court noted that there was no evidence the officers knew that at the time. Still, the central issue in the case was not whether Parker had something that looked like a gun. It was whether Darby’s decision to rush into the home and shoot was lawful when another officer was already trying to talk Parker down.
Darby was indicted for murder in August 2018. The City of Huntsville announced the indictment and arrest, while also stating that Parker had refused commands to drop the weapon before being fatally shot.
In May 2021, a Madison County jury convicted Darby of murder. In August 2021, Associated Press reported that he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Prosecutors argued at sentencing that the seriousness of what Darby did warranted a long sentence.
Darby appealed. On March 24, 2023, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the murder conviction and ordered a new trial. The court ruled that jurors should have been instructed to evaluate Darby’s use of force from the perspective of a reasonable police officer in the same situation.
After the reversal, Darby was released from prison on bond. A second trial was scheduled, but the case ended before that retrial began.
On October 13, 2023, Darby pleaded guilty to manslaughter. WAFF reported that the plea deal gave Darby a 20-year split sentence, but that he would serve three years on probation and would not return to prison unless he violated probation. Darby also received credit for time already served from the overturned murder conviction and waived his right to appeal.
Madison County District Attorney Robert Broussard said the plea was a favorable outcome for prosecutors because Darby had accepted responsibility. But for Parker’s family and many critics of the shooting, the result was still difficult to accept: a man called 911 during a mental health crisis, another officer was attempting to de-escalate, and the former officer who killed him avoided additional prison time after the case was reduced to manslaughter.
The civil case continued after the criminal plea. In December 2025, WAFF reported that a wrongful death lawsuit against Darby and the City of Huntsville had been set for trial in April 2026. Court records cited by WAFF said the city had not provided officer training for handling situations involving suicidal people before the 2018 shooting.
In January 2026, WAFF reported that the April civil trial had been canceled after Darby appealed a ruling denying him qualified immunity and state-agent immunity.
The criminal case against William Darby remains notable because it first produced a rare murder conviction against an on-duty police officer, then an appellate reversal, then a manslaughter plea that ended with probation instead of more prison time. Jeffrey Parker called 911 because he was in crisis. The officer who killed him ultimately walked away from the criminal case without serving the original 25-year sentence.
