Opp graduate killed in Montgomery shooting

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 7, 2012

An Opp graduate became Montgomery’s first homicide of the new-year on Saturday.

According to the Montgomery Police Department, units responded to 101. N. Haardt Drive around 4:17 a.m. Saturday, after receiving reports of a shooting. Haardt Drive is located in west Montgomery near the corner of South Court Street and West Edgemont Avenue near Bellingrath Jr. High School.

When officers arrived, they found Gary Blackwell, 46, of Turner Place, inside the residence with multiple gunshot wounds.

Blackwell was pronounced dead at the scene.

MPD investigators believe Blackwell was involved in an unknown type of altercation, officials said in a press release.

Blackwell graduated from Opp High School in 1983, where he played football for the Bobcats.

Blackwell was the former owner of Igor’s on East South Boulevard.

Police have charged Justin McCall, 27, with murder in connection with the Saturday morning shooting death of Blackwell, and have secured murder warrants against and still are looking for two other suspects in Blackwell’s death, Eric Johnson, 28, of Letohatchee and Ellis Diggs, 27, of Montgomery, Duckett said.