Homicide investigation underway in Alexander City; suspect charged with capital murder
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A homicide investigation is underway following a fatal home invasion in Alexander City.
State officials said Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigations special agents responded to the deadly shooting in the 4000 block of Washington Street at the request of Alexander City Police Department around 11:15 A.M. on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
Upon arrival, agents discovered Toyias Gopher, 32, of Alexander City, fatally wounded by gunfire during what authorities have described as a home invasion robbery.
Steven Abercrombie, 22, also of Alexander City, has been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with Capital Murder. He is currently being held at the Tallapoosa County Jail.
ALEA stated Alexander City Police Department, the Montgomery Police Department, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Montgomery Office, and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office all assisted in the investigation.
In a statement released by the Office of 5th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest, additional details were shared regarding the handling of the case.
According to Segrest, at 10:05 a.m. on July 19, his office was informed of a murder investigation involving Abercrombie. By 10:12 a.m., he had contacted the Alabama Attorney General’s Office to request that it take over the case due to an “internal conflict of interest involving a District Attorney’s office employee.”
As a result, the District Attorney’s office has been “fire-walled” from the case and has no access to investigative information. The case has been fully turned over to special agents at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Attorney General’s Office.
Segrest extended his deepest condolences and prayers to the family and friends of the victim, adding, “Justice will be served.”
Authorities have not released further details at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.
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