Emmit King, former Olympian and Alabama track star, shot and killed during argument
Emmit King, a former track star at the University of Alabama and a member of two Olympic teams, was one of two men shot and killed during an argument in Bessemer, Alabama, on Sunday, police said.
According to NBC News, witnesses said that King, 62, and Willie Wells, 60, were having an argument outside a house when both men pulled guns and fired at each other. Wells died at the scene, while King was taken to a hospital and died there. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified both men on Monday.
King was a track star in the early 1980s. He first ran for Jefferson State Community College, then attended the University of Alabama where he became the NCAA 100m champion in 1983. That same year he competed in the first world championships in Helsinki and won the bronze in the 100m. He was part of a U.S. sweep in the 100m, with Carl Lewis taking gold and Calvin Smith winning silver. King also competed in the 4x100m relay at the world championships and won gold along with Lewis, Smith, and Willie Gault.
King made the Olympic team in 1984 and 1988 as part of the 4x100m relay. He didn't compete either time.
The investigation into the deaths of King and Wells is still ongoing. Details of the dispute between the two men, who reportedly knew each other before their argument, aren't currently available.