Former Olympian Emmit King Killed in Shootout With Another Man

Sports

By Alyssa Wilson Published: November 30, 2021

Former Olympian Emmit King Killed in Shootout With Another Man

U.S. athlete Carl Lewis raises his arms in victory as he wins the 100-meter final ahead of third-place Emmit King, left, at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, June 18, 1984. A former University of Alabama track star and Olympian was killed in a shootout with another man, authorities say. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, identified Emmit King and Willie Albert Wells as the two men who died after exchanging gunfire in Bessemer on Sunday, AL.com reported. King, 62, was a sprinter and a member of the U.S. relay team for the Summer Olympics in 1984 and 1988, but he didn’t compete. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File)

In Summary

A former track star and Olympian was shot and killed after being involved in a shootout with another man.

Former University of Alabama track star and Olympian Emmit King and another man shot each other to death in a shootout in Bessemer, Alabama, authorities told ABC News.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified King and Willie Wells as the two victims, ABC News reported.

King, who was 62 years old, was a sprinter and a member of the U.S. relay team for the Olympics in 1984 and 1988. Although he is also an Olympian by way of Team USA’s victory, he did not compete in the competitions.

He was a track star in the early 1980s, where he first ran for Jefferson State Community College and then the University of Alabama.

Police said King and 60-year-old Wells knew each other. During an argument, the two pulled out guns and began shooting. Wells died at the scene and King later died in the hospital.

It is still unclear what the men were arguing about. The investigation into their deaths is still underway, according to Yahoo! Sports.

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