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Emmit King, former Olympian and Alabama track star, shot and killed during argument

Liz Roscher
·Staff writer
·1-min read
FILE - U.S. athlete Carl Lewis raises his arms in victory as he wins the 100-meter final ahead of third-place Emmit King, left, at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, June 18, 1984. A former University of Alabama track star and Olympian was killed in a shootout with another man, authorities say. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, identified Emmit King and Willie Albert Wells as the two men who died after exchanging gunfire in Bessemer on Sunday, AL.com reported. King, 62, was a sprinter and a member of the U.S. relay team for the Summer Olympics in 1984 and 1988, but he didn’t compete. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File)
Emmit King, seen here on the left finishing third in the 100 meters at the 1983 world championships, died on Sunday in Alabama after an argument with an acquaintance turned violent. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File) (AP)

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.