Northport, Alabama

From the Tuscaloosa News of July 20, 2005
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Man kills his alleged kidnapper

A Northport man shot his alleged kidnapper to death early Tuesday morning in the Huntington Place subdivision.

Lt. Loyd Baker, commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, said the 53-year-old Northport man, whose name isn’t being released, said he shot his alleged kidnapper, Ricky Brimer, 49, of Haleyville, after Brimer abducted him from his second home in Haleyville on Monday afternoon.

“Brimer came to the victim’s Haleyville residence and abducted him at gunpoint, pistol-whipped him, shocked him with a stun gun and threatened to kill him," Baker said. “He was held there throughout the night by the suspect [Brimer] and then brought to the victim’s residence in the Huntington Place subdivision in Northport."

“The victim’s wife and daughter were home when they arrived, and the victim tricked the suspect into allowing the wife and daughter to leave the room under the pretense that they were going to get some photos to show the suspect," he said. “When they left the room, the victim obtained a gun from his house and shot Brimer once in the head."

Baker said the Northport man’s wife called the Northport Police Department at 7:57 a.m. right after she left the room where her husband was being held. Four minutes later, officers arrived and immediately called an ambulance after finding Brimer shot and barely breathing, Baker said.

Brimer was transported to DCH Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m., Baker said.

The Northport man was taken to DCH for several bruises and lacerations that he sustained to his head and body during the abduction.

At some point in the past, Baker said Brimer had lived with the Northport man and his family in their Huntington Place residence.

But because of several threats Brimer allegedly made against the Northport man and his family, Baker said Brimer was kicked out and that several protection orders were obtained to keep him away.

Baker said no charges have been filed against the Northport man, but he said the case would be forwarded to the grand jury for review.