An Alabama law enforcement officer identified by media outlets as Garry Chapman has been placed on paid administrative leave after his reported involvement in a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash on Sept. 6 in Hartselle, Ala., authorities and local reports said.
The pursuit resulted in six people being hospitalized and the death of 17-year-old Tristan Hollis, according to local media accounts and family statements. The officer was placed on paid leave as the agency investigates the circumstances of the chase and wreck, a procedural step the department described as standard while the inquiry is ongoing.
Local officials have provided limited public comment. Priceville Mayor and Police Committee Chair Sam Heflin declined to confirm to media whether the officer is related to television personality Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, though multiple outlets cited unnamed sources identifying the officer as the son of the reality-TV star. Representatives for the family and the department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hartselle police and local news accounts said one of the people hospitalized after the crash — identified in reports as Archie Hale — is a possible suspect connected to the sequence of events that led to the collision. Authorities reported that Hale’s vehicle struck another car, which was sent through an intersection, before Hale’s vehicle ultimately went into a ditch. Officials have not disclosed whether alcohol or drugs were factors, and the condition of the other injured people has not been released.
Family members of the deceased posted on social media to confirm the teen’s death. Tristan Hollis’s grandmother, Beth Campbell Vinson, wrote that her "sweet 17 year old grandson, Tristan Hollis is in Jesus arms," and asked for prayers for both families affected by the crash.
The officer, identified in local department social media posts earlier this year, is reported to be 24 and to have worked in law enforcement for roughly three and a half years, including time as a corrections officer. In an April question-and-answer posted by the Priceville Police Department, the officer said he was a full-time college student, enjoyed church and family time, and credited his father’s example for inspiring him to pursue a career in law enforcement.
The placement on paid administrative leave follows standard procedure that allows agencies to continue an administrative and criminal review without the officer performing operational duties. Local investigators and, where applicable, the state’s law enforcement oversight or district attorney’s office will determine whether any charges or departmental actions are warranted based on the results of the probe.
The incident comes amid recent tragedies reported within the extended Chapman family. In a separate case reported roughly a month earlier, Duane Chapman’s stepson, Gregory Zecca, was placed on a psychiatric hold after an accidental shooting that killed his 13-year-old son, according to media reports. That matter remains a separate, active investigation by authorities.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about the Sept. 6 chase and crash to contact local investigators. The investigative agencies have not released a full timeline of events or a final cause for the collision; officials said public updates will follow as the review progresses.