Tyler Goodson, a character from the hit podcast S-Town, was shot and killed by police over the weekend.
Woodstock, Alabama Mayor Jeff Dodson wrote in an email Monday morning: “Tyler was well known and loved by myself, his family and this community. That love extends far beyond due to the S-Town podcast. Please remember at this time that he is so much more than a character to the fans who loved him. This young man was a father, son, brother and friend to many.”
The mayor also said that police arrived at Goodson’s home in response to a 911 call and several additional law enforcement groups were requested for backup.
Officers spent three hours attempting to communicate with Goodson, who barricaded himself in his residence, but Sgt. Jeremy Burkett from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency explained, “During the course of the incident, Goodson brandished a gun at officers. Goodson was shot and later pronounced dead.”
In a now-restricted Facebook post sent at 1:39 a.m. on Sunday, Goodson wrote, “Police bout to shoot me down in my own yard.”
Nearly six months after the 2017 release of S-Town, which was hosted by This American Life’s Brian Reed and produced by the team behind Serial, Goodson pleaded guilty to third-degree charges of burglary, theft of property, and criminal trespassing for taking various items from the property of John B. McLemore, another character featured on the podcast, after he died.
Goodson claimed in the show that McLemore had promised him his land if he passed, but the man did not leave behind a will, making Goodson’s actions illegal.
He was subsequently handed a suspended 10-year sentence with five years of probation.
According to WIAT, S-Town has been downloaded more than 100 million times and was once in development to become a movie.
