Ammarin Lada Tunstall

Mar 30

Written By M T

35 years old · Monroeville, Alabama · March 30, 2026

Who he was

Ammarian LaDarius Tunstall was 35 years old and from Monroeville, Alabama. He was born September 29, 1990, to Sharin Tunstall and Clarence Williams, and attended schools in Clarke County. He was a father to two children — Cameron Tunstall of Jackson and Justice Moore of Excel. He was a devoted Alabama Crimson Tide fan who loved sharing those moments with the people he cared about. His family described him as someone with a warm smile and quick wit who always showed up for those he loved. He is survived by his mother Sharin, his father Clarence, three brothers, a sister, aunts, uncles, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends. On the day he died, he had come to Monroeville to visit his cousin. His family says the video of him being dragged by officers is the last memory they will have of him.

What happened

On March 30, 2026, Monroeville Police responded to a call about Tunstall in connection with a domestic situation. Officers said Tunstall had outstanding warrants. Around 2:30 p.m., a uniformed officer spotted him walking near Crowe Avenue and Marengo Street. When the officer approached him, Tunstall fled on foot into a nearby wooded area. Other officers responded and a chase ensued through the woods. A witness who filmed part of the encounter said she could hear Tunstall yelling and screaming — "He was literally crying for help" — before going quiet. At least one family member alleged that officers pepper-sprayed and tased Tunstall multiple times during the chase. Officers then dragged his limp body by his arms out of the wooded area to a patrol car. Footage shows him unresponsive on his knees as officers pull him, with one officer telling him to "act like a grown-ass man." He was placed face down in the patrol car and transported to the Monroe County Detention Facility. At 3:03 p.m. — approximately 30 minutes after he was dragged to the patrol car — emergency personnel were dispatched to the facility after Tunstall was found unresponsive with a faint pulse. Officers administered Narcan. He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

Official ruling

No official cause of death has been determined. The Monroeville Police Department stated that Tunstall "was talking with officers and alert, but refused to walk" after being taken into custody, and that this "was not uncommon behavior for Mr. Tunstall." Police also said that during the encounter Tunstall became unresponsive and was administered Naloxone — a medication used to reverse opioid overdose — before being transported to the hospital. The department has not publicly addressed witness accounts of tasing and pepper spray in the woods. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences received Tunstall's body for autopsy. Results have not been publicly released. The officers involved were placed on administrative leave.

Contested record

The family and witnesses directly dispute the department's account. A family member stated that officers pepper-sprayed and tased Tunstall multiple times during the chase — force that is not mentioned in the department's official statement. A witness said she heard Tunstall "literally crying for help" before he went silent. The department's characterization of his refusal to walk as "not uncommon behavior" has been read by family and observers as an attempt to normalize the dragging rather than address the force used in the woods. The department has not released body camera footage, if any exists. The administration of Narcan — used for opioid overdoses — introduces an alternative explanation for his death that the department has leaned into publicly, while the family disputes any suggestion that drugs alone explain what happened.

Police response flag

The family has raised concerns about the adequacy of medical attention during and after the encounter. Tunstall was dragged to a patrol car, placed face down, and transported to a detention facility before emergency services were called — a roughly 30-minute gap between when he was visibly unresponsive and when medical crews were dispatched.

Legal process

March 30, 2026 — Ammarin Tunstall arrested by Monroeville Police after foot chase through wooded area. Dragged limp to patrol car. Transported to Monroe County Detention Facility.

March 30, 2026 — Emergency personnel dispatched to detention facility at 3:03 p.m. Narcan administered. Tunstall transported to hospital; pronounced dead.

March 30, 2026, 3:50 p.m. — Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation launches formal in-custody death investigation.

April 2, 2026 — Monroeville Police Chief Mandee Armstrong releases statement. Officers placed on administrative leave. Body released to Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsy.

As of May 31, 2026 — Autopsy results not publicly released. SBI investigation ongoing. Findings will be turned over to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. No charges filed.