Alabama police officer arrested on domestic violence charges related to off-duty incident

An officer with the Mobile Police Department is facing domestic violence charges in connection with an off-duty incident earlier this month. 

MPD officer Gavin Cotter, 25, was arrested last Monday and booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail in the early morning hours of Tuesday, according to a police press release. 

According to the department, Cotter has been charged with domestic violence – strangulation or suffocation – and third-degree domestic violence harassment. The exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear at this time. 

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Mobile police are conducting a criminal investigation while the City of Mobile’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation. 

Cotter has been placed on administrative leave pending the findings of the administrative investigation, the MPD said.