Tuscaloosa Commissioner Charged After School Altercation

Reginald Murray, 66, a Tuscaloosa County commissioner who has represented District 4 since 1996, was involved in a physical altercation with a Tuscaloosa police officer Tuesday after he arrived late for a 9 a.m. awards program at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and doors had been locked. Police and video show Murray repeatedly knocked on the locked auditorium door after being told he could not enter, refused to comply when an officer tried to escort him away, physically resisted, and was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed; a Taser was pressed to his back but not fired. The Tuscaloosa Police Department said the officer acted to maintain safety, obtained warrants related to another person in the disturbance, and charged Murray with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental operations and disorderly conduct. Murray turned himself in and bond was set at $2,000; Tuscaloosa City Schools declined to comment and referred questions to police, which said additional information would be released later.