The Auburn Police Division has confirmed the identity of the officer shot Friday night.
Police identified the officer, who sustained serious injuries during a traffic stop of a robbery suspect, as Officer Justin Sanders, 30, from Auburn.
Sanders' shooting Friday evening launched a massive manhunt for the suspect, Christopher James Wallace, 38, who is believed to be from the Eufala, Alabama, area. Sanders had attempted to stop Wallace near Dollar General on Opelika Road after a report of a robbery on Dean Road at about 5:30 p.m.
The manhunt ended with a shootout and a fire that engulfed a condo complex on Wire Road, Crossland Downs.
The suspect and a woman with him died in the fire, police and the coroner's office confirmed Saturday morning.
READ MORE: Shooting suspect dies in fire after confrontation with police
Burn damage to the apartment at the scene of the Crossland Downs shooting and fire on Feb. 16, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Sanders, a five-year law enforcement veteran, is assigned to the patrol section. He is a native of Auburn and a graduate of Auburn High School. After being shot "multiple times" Friday, ambulances transported Sanders to East Alabama Medical Center, where was in stable condition.
He was then transported to UAB Medical Center in Birmingham. He remains in stable condition and is recovering from injuries.
READ MORE: 'All I smell is gunpowder': Crossland Downs residents witness police pursuit of shooting suspect
“We are thankful for the staff at East Alabama Medical Center for all they did to save Officer Sanders," Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said. "We are very proud of the bravery he displayed in attempting to arrest someone dangerous to this community. We are humbled by the outpouring of public support; we are also very proud and appreciative of the dozens of law enforcement personnel who responded within minutes to aid in preventing further violence by those responsible. More than anything, we are thankful that Justin will recover."
The case remains under investigation by the Auburn Police Division, Opelika Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation and the State of Alabama Medical Examiner’s Office.
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Chip Brownlee, senior in journalism and political science, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
