A Mobile County constable arrested over the weekend on a murder charge had his bond set at $250,000 during a hearing Monday afternoon at the Baldwin County Courthouse in Bay Minette.
Larry Sheffield, 68, of Semmes, is accused in the shooting death of 52-year-old Jeffrey McMillan. Authorities say McMillan was fatally shot Sunday in the parking lot of Traders, a business located in Spanish Fort.
District Court Judge Scott Taylor presided over Sheffield’s bond hearing, setting the amount at $250,000 following his weekend arrest on the murder charge. Sheffield’s position as a constable in Mobile County adds an unusual dimension to the case, given his role within the local justice system.
Case Details Still Emerging
Details surrounding the shooting remain limited, with investigators continuing to piece together what led to the confrontation between Sheffield and McMillan at the Spanish Fort parking lot. The Traders location where the shooting occurred sits along one of the busier commercial corridors connecting Spanish Fort to nearby Baldwin County communities, an area that sees significant traffic from both local residents and travelers passing through the Eastern Shore.
Constables in Alabama typically serve limited law enforcement and court-related functions at the county level, distinct from full-time sheriff’s deputies or municipal police officers. Sheffield’s arrest and the serious nature of the murder charge against him are likely to draw continued scrutiny from local officials and residents alike as the case moves through the Baldwin County court system.
No additional information about a possible motive, the specific weapon involved, or whether Sheffield had made any statement to investigators had been released publicly as of Monday’s hearing. The case remains under investigation, and further court proceedings are expected as prosecutors build their case against Sheffield in connection with McMillan’s death.
Residents in the Spanish Fort and greater Eastern Shore area, where violent crime of this nature is relatively uncommon, expressed shock at news of the shooting involving a local elected law enforcement official.