Watch now: Details emerge in case of man accused of trying to kill Decatur police officer

DECATUR — A sworn affidavit reveals dramatic new details of the case against Marcus D. Boykin, the Decatur man accused of driving up to a city police officer and trying to shoot him to death.

Boykin, 39, was intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine in his system when he drove up to a Officer Chris Snyder, seated in his squad car at 10:46 p.m. on June 18, and fired one shot at him out his driver's window from 5 feet away, the statement says.

Boykin then took off with Snyder in pursuit, soon to be joined by many other squad cars from various police agencies as Snyder radioed for backup.

The shooting had happened while Snyder was parked in the 300 block of East Leafland Avenue and the chase proceeded to Jackson Street just west of Sheridan Street. That is where fellow Decatur police Officer Michael Lawary got behind Boykin’s vehicle and soon was in fear he was about to be shot at, too, the affidavit says.

“Officer Lawary observed Marcus raise his arm backwards and point the handgun in the direction of Officer Lawary,” said the affidavit, signed by Detective Benjamin Massey.

“Due to Marcus having already shot at Officer Snyder, Marcus possessing the firearm in his hand, having held it to his own head, and the reckless actions Marcus was currently doing, Officer Lawary feared Marcus was going to fire at him when Marcus pointed the gun.

“Officer Lawary fired approximately eight to nine shots from the interior of his squad car out of the windshield in the direction of Marcus. Officers would later observe a bullet defect in the rear trunk of Marcus’s car.”

Boykin was not injured and the vehicle pursuit continued until police deployed spike strips that deflated some of the tires on Boykin’s vehicle and he was stopped in the 1300 block of North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Massey said Boykin climbed out of the car, still holding his handgun which he would, at times, “put it in his mouth or under his chin.” He was then seen to sit down on the ground and push the .32 caliber handgun away from him but then began crawling back toward the weapon.

“Officers ran towards Marcus and utilized a Taser to try and stop Marcus from gaining possession of the firearm again,” added Massey. “Marcus was subsequently taken into custody.”

Footage shot by the Herald & Review shows the vehicle turning from East Grand Avenue onto Martin Luther King, with sparks coming from the tires. 

This wasn’t Officer Lawary’s first brush with gunfire danger. Stark footage from his body cam captured the moment on the night of Jan. 29 when suspect Gregory W. Lewis was accused of shooting at him. Lawary returned fire and neither man was hit in the exchange of gunshots.

Boykin remains held in the Macon County Jail on charges of the attempted murder of a police officer and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon. He also faces two counts of aggravated fleeing and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence. He is being held on $500,000 bail, meaning he must post $50,000 to be released.

Gregory Lewis, 47, is also housed in the jail and has pleaded not guilty to charges of the attempted murder of a police officer, the aggravated discharge of a weapon and being an armed habitual criminal. He also faces charges of being a felon in possession of a weapon and theft.

Lewis is due in Macon County Circuit Court on Thursday for a pretrial hearing.

The Decatur Police Department has declined a Freedom of Information Act request from the Herald & Review seeking dashcam and body camera footage of the chase, citing the investigation.