On April 26, 2017, in Atmore, Alabama, 20-year-old Donta Demorris Russell was found fatally shot in his Ford Crown Victoria after the car came to rest against a tree on Old Ship Circle. Deputies responding to reports of gunfire and a possible domestic disturbance arrived around 10:16 p.m. and discovered Russell in the driver’s seat with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Initial reports indicated he may have been shot additional times after the crash.

The shooting became Atmore’s first homicide of 2017. A grand jury later indicted two Atmore men, Darrell Brown, 29, and Yeldon Devonta Rostchild, 23, on capital murder charges; both were arrested and held without bond. If anyone knew Donta, saw activity on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive or Old Ship Circle that night, or has information about the case, please come forward.