Corneil Dontavious James was 26 when he was shot and killed on the evening of December 5, 2020. Deputies responded about 6:45 p.m. to reports of gunfire at the Munford Exxon on Highway 21 and found James inside a 2017 Chevrolet Cruz with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Citizens ER and later pronounced dead.

The Talladega County Sheriff’s Office opened a homicide investigation. Witnesses reported seeing a black Jeep that might be linked to the shooting, and a vehicle matching that description was located and impounded at the Westgate Apartments on December 6, 2020. James’s body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. No suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced; the motive has not been disclosed. His funeral took place Saturday, December 12, 2020.

Anyone who was at the Munford Exxon that evening or who remembers a black Jeep in the area is asked to come forward with information.