Court date set for HPD officer accused of girlfriend’s murder

MADISON, Ala. (WAFF) - A Huntsville Police Officer has been charged with capital murder on Friday linked to a shooting at a Madison apartment complex.

According to HPD, the State Bureau of Investigation has charged HPD Officer David McCoy, 28, with capital murder. HPD says McCoy was off-duty at the time of the shooting.

McCoy’s preliminary hearing is scheduled on January 28 at 1:30 p.m. at the Madison County Courthouse.

A family member of the victim confirms her identity as Courtney Spraggins, 26 of Trion, Georgia. The family member tells WAFF Spraggins was 7 months pregnant.

Sources familiar with the situation tell WAFF 48 News, Spraggins was found dead with a gunshot wound. Those sources also tell us, McCoy, who lives at the Weston Ranch Apartment Complex as a courtesy officer, called in to dispatch of shots being fired just before 10:00 a.m. Friday morning but later told authorities it was an attempted suicide.

According to our source, during questioning, investigators searched both his and the victim’s phones and found some clear problems and pictures of the two.

Our sources tell us crime scene investigators on the scene were unable to find any kind of firearm the woman could’ve used.

Huntsville Police confirmed that McCoy was later charged with capital murder by the State Bureau of Investigation.

WAFF talked with the victim’s mother, Kimberly Walter told us her daughter was pregnant with McCoy’s child previously, but miscarried.

Her mother said this time she was determined to keep the baby.

She says her daughter drove to Madison from out of state to meet with McCoy as she had done in the past.

Spraggins had told her mother that David McCoy was suicidal. But when she arrived on Friday, in 16 minutes everything changed.

WAFF has reached out to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency representatives for the answers to multiple questions, including, was the gun used in the murder McCoy’s service weapon, was there any infraction on his personnel record? Spraggins’ mother said her daughter told her McCoy suffered from PTSD.

According to Madison County Coroner Dr. Tyler Berryhill, an autopsy has been ordered for the victim. Dr. Berryhill says it will take place Monday and be performed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Huntsville Regional Laboratory.

HPD has requested that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation lead the death investigation. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.

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