S-town podcast figure shot, killed after standoff with police
An Alabama man featured on the popular podcast "S-Town" was shot and killed after a standoff with police in Alabama over the weekend, according to local authorities.
Joseph Tyler Goodson, 32, of Woodstock, barricaded himself inside of a house early Sunday, prompting a standoff with officers from the Woodstock Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) confirmed in a statement to The Hill.
During the standoff, Goodson "brandished a gun" at officers before police shot him, the ALEA said. He was later pronounced dead.
The ALEA said police were responding to a home in Woodstock for a call of service shortly after midnight when they "encountered" Goodson, who then barricaded himself in. The agency did not disclose what prompted the initial call to the house.
“Police bout to shoot me down in my own yard,” Goodson posted in a message to his Facebook account early Sunday, according to reporting from WIAT and al.com.
The ALEA will investigate the incident and share their findings with the Bibb County District Attorney's Office.
Goodson was a featured voice on the popular podcast "S-Town," which covered the story of Goodson's late friend, John B. McLemore, who "despised" the town of Woodstock and asked the podcast's host, Brian Reed, to investigate a suspected unreported murder in Bibb County.
The podcast's focus then shifted to the life and later death of McLemore, a former restorer of antique clocks, who died by suicide before the show was released, The Associated Press reported.
“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 about McLemore in the the third episode of the podcast, per the AP.
The podcast received a Peabody Award in 2017 and garnered 16 million views in the first week following its release.
The Hill reached out those behind "S-Town" for comment.
Goodson pleaded guilty to burglary and theft charges in 2017 related to taking items from McLemore's property after his death, the AP reported. Goodson received a suspended sentenced and maintained the taken items belonged to him, according to the newswire.
The rural town of Woodstock is located around 35 miles southwest of Birmingham.
“I know that everyone wants answers and details, myself included,” Woodstock Mayor Jeff Dodson said in a statement Monday, per the AP. “Tyler was well known and loved by myself, his family and this community. That love extends far beyond due to the S-Town podcast."
“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,” the mayor continued.