Man shot by Birmingham police would never shoot a cop, says his family: “He is a kind-hearted person”

The parents of a man shot by Birmingham police don't believe he fired at officers, but are shocked by a cellphone video that shows him being injured while fleeing from police.

Jaylin Patton, 28, was shot Wednesday afternoon when he fled on foot during an attempted traffic stop and fired at police officers, according to police reports.

His mother, Nicole Hillary, and father, Anthony Patton, said they were not allowed to see or speak to their son, but they wanted a change in the narrative about why his son was shot.

“Everyone who knows Jaylin knows that he is a kind-hearted person,” Hillary said. “Jaylin is very afraid of the police. He would run away from the police, but he would never shoot the police.”

A passerby on the highway recorded part of the interaction.

The video sent to Hillary shows Patton fleeing from police and climbing over the chain-link fence that separates the highway from a nearby residential area.

As the video shows, Patton was running toward the neighborhood when an officer fired several shots at him through the fence.

“It was horrible,” Hillary said. “It broke my heart immediately.”

The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday when an officer was conducting a traffic stop on I-20/59 northbound between Tallapoosa Street and Airport Boulevard.

Patton's vehicle left the highway and came to rest at the fence that separates the highway from a nearby residential area, police said.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said the suspect jumped out of his vehicle and ran away. A foot chase ensued.

“At some point, the suspect fired at our officer and the officer returned fire,” Thurmond said.

A call was sent over the police radio that an officer needed all possible assistance.

Dozens of police officers and detectives flocked to the scene. Alabama State Troopers and ATF agents were also on site.

Patton was transported to UAB Hospital by Birmingham Fire and EMS.

Thurmond said the entire ordeal was captured on body-worn cameras. AL.com has submitted a request for the footage.

The chief also said that the injured suspect's injuries were not life-threatening.

The investigation is being led by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation, which is standard practice in police-involved shootings.

Birmingham Police declined to comment on the parents' claims, citing ongoing investigations.

Hillary said a friend called her after spotting her car on the side of the highway and Hillary rushed to the scene of the accident.

“The police didn't tell me anything. Nothing more than that he was arrested, and they didn't tell me why,” she said. “I didn't see him.”

Hillary said hospital officials told her his name was not in the system, which is not unusual. Gunshot victims are often admitted to the hospital under different names for security reasons.

Hillary, a physician's assistant, said it broke her heart not to be able to see him.

“I'm emotional because I don't have the opportunity to reach out and touch him,” she said.

Hillary said she is convinced her son did not fire any shots. Court records show that while he has been arrested before, he has never been arrested for violent crimes.

“He doesn't want to go to prison for the rest of his life,” Hillary said. “He never shot a police officer. He knows better.”

“If he had shot those police officers, he would have been dead next to the car and my car would have been shot at,” she said. “They would have had the shell casings out there. None of that was out there.”

“It takes a lot to get any kind of anger out of Jaylin,” Hillary said. “He's not a threat to society at all.”

Both parents said they were shocked by what they saw in the videos sent to them.

“It looks like they were chasing him. It was sad to see something like that,” said Anthony Patton. “They got angry because he got away and just started shooting.”

“We will hear from him exactly what happened,” he said. “I want every officer who fired a weapon to be held accountable.”