Larry Douglas Oden, a 49-year-old man from Gardendale, Alabama, died on August 21, 2023, from a blunt force head injury he suffered seventeen days earlier. The injury occurred during an encounter with Bessemer police on August 4, 2023, in the 700 block of Academy Drive while officers were investigating a reported property theft. Oden fled and was pursued by officers; the head trauma was sustained during that incident.

He was taken first to UAB Medical West Hospital in Bessemer and later transferred to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he remained under care until his death in the early morning of August 21. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry. No charges or suspects have been publicly identified and no further investigative details have been released.

If anyone witnessed the August 4 encounter on Academy Drive or has information about what happened during the pursuit, please share what is known.