Gray clouds weren’t the only thing hanging over the city of Jemison on Tuesday, as a community reeling from tragedy was still searching for answers.

After a shooting at Jemison Internal Medicine that left 24-year-old Leaj Jarvis Price dead, many who were nearby when the shooting took place said they were still in disbelief.

“We just don’t have things like that in Chilton County,” said Kimberly Sullivan, an employee at the Subway across U.S. Highway 31 from the doctor’s office.

Sullivan said the only thing she saw of the event was “them toting her across the street,” but welcomed the staff and patients of the office into the restaurant as a safe place after the shooting before they were moved to city hall.

A.J. Oaks, gym manager at Anytime Fitness, located diagonally across from the office, said he caught various stages of the shooting and subsequent standoff.

“When I first got here, nothing was going on yet, and I got here at (around) 8:45 a.m.,” he said. “About 9, I looked over and noticed just a couple of cop cars in the parking lot and one parked on the side of the road, so I didn’t think anything of it being a big situation at first.”

After about 20 minutes, Oaks said he realized something out of the ordinary was taking place.

“I looked back over, and the whole Jemison police force and a lot of the county is over there,” he said. “(I thought) something crazy’s going on. Then, when one of the marksmen pulled out his rifle, I’m like, ‘Okay, something pretty serious is going on.'”

“Didn’t really know too much, and then I saw a couple of the officers bringing out a body,” he said.

Oaks said social media kept him informed while the situation was unfolding.

“I had people calling and texting, and that’s when I kind of figured out what was going on,” he said. “I just waited here for about 2-3 hours by myself. If I had been paying attention, or had just looked out for whatever reason, I could’ve seen him running in there.”

Mayor Eddie Reed said he was at city hall when the incident unfolded, awaiting a business meeting. Reed said he gave his word to be at city hall for the meeting,  but otherwise would’ve been at home recuperating from a back injury.

“I had no plans (to be nearby), but had an appointment at 8:30,” he said. “I was able to go, and I was at City Hall all day.”

Reed said he had nothing but praise for the way the Jemison Police Department handled the situation, stating that he was “really confident in the police department and sheriff’s office.”

“We’re a small community, and we’re not used (to events like these),” he said. “You can’t (predict these events) but you can prepare. Chief Shane Fulmer and his staff were prepared. They secured the scene.”

Reed said he felt the Jemison Police Department—along with other law enforcement agencies that were on hand—contained the situation to the best of their ability.

“We were very fortunate,” he said. “It could’ve been a lot worse than what it was.”

Reed said he went by the scene, but was asked to leave for his own safety.

“I went to the scene, but I was instructed to leave,” he said. I’m not a police officer, and they didn’t need (me) interfering.”

Reed said he also went about calling businesses and trying to make sure everyone got to safety.

He also said he sent his condolences to the people who endured the situation.

“We have sympathy for the family and pray this doesn’t happen again,” he said. We just have to provide the best security possible and pray these things don’t happen. It’s behind us, but we always have to be proactive.”

Jose Arreola, owner and operator of Chico’s Tire Shop directly across from Jemison Internal Medicine, said he watched from outside his shop as the entire incident unfolded in front of him.

“We saw everything,” he said. “She was getting out from the house, no shoes and she was running. She went to the doctor’s office and tried to get help.”

Arreola said he never had contact with the victim or the shooter.

“We never talked, and never saw the guy carrying a gun, but he was trying to get the girl from out of the office. The doctor was helping the girl, and they were pulling each way, and he pulled the gun and shot the girl.”

Arreola then said he saw suspect Eric Heath Price return to the house, where a standoff with law enforcement agents took place.

“He went back to the house, and the police showed up and were looking inside the building, but he was not inside the building.”

Arreola said witnessing the event was a surreal experience.

“It feels weird,” he said. “We heard the shot, and the girl fell on the ground. There was a car in front of the door, so we couldn’t see the girl moving. The police and everybody were over there, so we could not see anything. After about 20 minutes, they pulled her out, and she was dead.”

Arreola went on to say the gravity of the situation then began to take hold.

“After that…I started shaking all day,” he said. “We saw the girl bleeding, blood everywhere.”

Arreola said once he and his workers heard the shot, they didn’t move.

He went on to say there was a different feel upon returning work.

“Today, when I got here, I was looking over there and it was different,” he said. “It’s kind of like in a movie when someone gets killed or you wake up from a dream or something. It’s different. You can see it. There’s nothing (there) right now, (except) TV news trucks and people driving by trying to see.”

Arreola said he was—like most of the town—still in disbelief.

“I’ve been here seven years, and no wrecks, no nothing (happens) over here,” he said. “It’s never happened before.”