Alabama man from ‘S-Town’ podcast shot, killed by police in standoff: authorities

An Alabama man who was featured in an award-winning podcast about crime and corruption rumors in a small town between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa died Sunday in a shootout with police, according to state authorities. 

Special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) are investigating the officer-involved shooting in Woodstock that left Joseph Tyler Goodson, 32, of Woodstock, dead over the weekend, ALEA said in a statement Monday.

The shooting happened shortly after midnight, when officers with the Woodstock Police Department responded to a call for service near the 500 block of Georgia Loop in Woodstock, ALEA said.

Upon arrival, police located Goodson, who garnered local and national recognition after being featured on the “S-Town” podcast, barricaded inside a residence, “and a standoff ensued,” the state agency said.

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Law enforcement officers from various agencies were called for assistance. 

Goodson allegedly brandished a gun during the incident, and officers shot and killed him. Police have not released any other information about the deadly shootout.

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Just before his death, Goodson apparently took to Facebook to share what was happening from his since-deleted account, according to local news.

“Police bout to shoot me down in my own yard,” he wrote, as WIAT and al.com first reported.

Woodstock Mayor Jeff Dodson said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital he knows “everyone wants answers and details” regarding Goodson’s death.

“Tyler was well known and loved by myself, his family and this community. That love extends far beyond due to the ‘S-Town’ podcast,” he said. “Please remember at this time that he is so much more than a character to the fans who loved him.  This young man was a father, son, brother and friend to many.”

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“S-Town” documents life — and scandalous rumors — in Woodstcok from the perspective of a man named John B. McLemore, who reached out to journalist Brian Reed via email in 2012 using a nickname with an expletive for his town, which he loves and hates at the same time. McLemore, a clock repairman, asked Reed, who was based in New York, to investigate a murder in the small Alabama town, and Reed took him up on the request after about a year of email correspondence. 

McLemore died by suicide in 2015 while the show was still in production. The podcast aired in 2017.

Goodson was McLemore’s friend and employee and referred to McLemore as a father figure.

“If (Goodson) has his shirt on, you know he must be going to court. At least that’s what his mom will tell me one day,” Reed says in the first episode of “S-Town.” “Today, apparently, he’s not on the docket because he’s standing here, shirtless, tattooed, with an anatomical heart on his chest that says ‘misery loves company.’”

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Reed added that Goodson was telling stories about “run-ins with the cops” during their first meeting.

In 2017, Goodson was arrested for allegedly taking things from McLemore’s property after his death. Goodson said he was getting items that belonged to him at McLemore’s home, a detail that is mentioned in the podcast.

“S-Town,” which comes from “Serial” Productions and “This American Life,” won the Peabody Award in 2017.

Goodson told The Associated Press in a 2017 interview his fame from the podcast had not helped him in life. 

“It’s a sad story, especially if you’re part of it,” Goodson said.

An investigation into the shootout is ongoing, ALEA said. Authorities will submit findings to the Bibb County District Attorney’s Office once the investigation is complete.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.