Riverchase residents say it's not often you see forensics detectives in their neighborhood. In fact, even the clues telling them something had happened on the 19-hundred block of Old Montgomery Highway in Pelham still weren't enough to convince folks who live in nearby Riverchase what was going on.

"A patrol car crime scene tape across the driveway while we were having lunch out here on the deck. I thought that was strange. But, I really didn't have any suspicion of anything," says Joel Radford of Riverchase.

The Jefferson County deputy sheriff finished his shift at the jail ten o'clock saturday night. He came home to an unwelcome surprise...a burglar...who was also surprised...so surprised, in fact...he shot the deputy in the shoulder. Detectives continued to gather evidence into Sunday, which was a tamed down version of saturday night's portion of the investigation when k-9 units, the swat team, and several area detectives went on the prowl for the suspect. Pelham police...the primary investigating agency...refused to give the media a description of the potentially dangerous ... and armed suspect. While shocked by what happened...area residents don't seem to think there in danger.

"Crime and incidents like that show up in all demographics and all neighborhoods. It's not unusual for that to happen. We are not concerned," says Radford.

The deputy still had his equipment on his belt, including his 2-way radio. He was able to send an emergency alert to tell dispatch what happened.

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