A man who featured in the hit podcast S-Town died on Sunday after he was shot during a standoff with police officers in Alabama.
Joseph Tyler Goodson, 32, of Woodstock, was shot and killed by police after he barricaded himself inside a home and “brandished a gun” at officers, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said.
The agency’s statement said the Woodstock Police Department (WPD) had initially responded to a “call for service” a little after midnight and that a standoff then ensued.
The statement said Goodson was shot by officers during the confrontation and was subsequently pronounced dead. It did not provide any further details on what led to the initial call to the home.
“Police bout to shoot me down in my own yard,” a message posted early on Sunday to Goodson’s Facebook account read, according to multiple US news outlets including WIAT and al.com.
The ALEA released a statement on Monday saying it had launched an investigation into the matter following a request from the WPD.
Mayor Jeff Dodson offered his condolences over Goodson’s death.
"I know that everyone wants answers and details, myself included. Tyler was well known and loved by myself, his family and this community. That love extends far beyond due to the S-Town podcast," said Mr Dodson in a statement. “Please remember at this time that he is so much more than a character to the fans who loved him. This young man was a father, son, brother and friend to many.”
Released in 2017, the podcast S-Town followed a man named John B McLemore who hated his hometown, Woodstock in Alabama and reached out to the podcast’s host seeking his help to investigate the son of rich family, who he claims had gotten away with murder.
McLemore, who died by suicide ahead of the release of the show, used an expletive to describe his hometown that gave the podcast its abbreviated title.
Downloaded by listeners 16 million times in its first week of release, the series earned a Peabody Award.
Goodson prominently featured in the series and had a close friendship with McLemore. “Because you know, I ain’t ever had no daddy worth a damn. He’s just about the only daddy I’ve got,” Goodson said of McLemore in the third episode of the podcast.
