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    Crime

    Lee County murder suspect arrested more than two weeks after deadly shooting at house party

    CNAW Newsroom —
    Lee County murder suspect arrested more than two weeks after deadly shooting at house party
    1 of 4
    Key takeaways
    • Phenix City man Raymond Drew Earl arrested and charged with murder in connection with July 11 house party shooting.
    • 18-year-old victim Anthony Onochie died from chest gunshot wound; suspect arrested July 27 after two-week investigation.

    A Phenix City man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred earlier this month at a house party in Lee County, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

    Deputies responded to the 800 block of Lee Road 197 on July 11, 2026, after receiving a 9-1-1 call reporting shots fired at an open house party where a person had been struck by gunfire.

    When deputies arrived, they found an adult male lying in the yard suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency Medical Services transported the victim, later identified as 18-year-old Anthony Onochie of Columbus, Georgia, to Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Georgia, where he later died from his injuries.

    Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigators responded to the scene and gathered evidence that ultimately led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Raymond Drew Earl, 18, of Phenix City.

    On Monday, July 27, investigators, the Lee County SWAT Team, and members of the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force executed a search warrant in the 300 block of Lee Road 706 in the Beauregard community of Lee County. Earl was taken into custody without incident.

    He has been charged with murder and is being held in the Lee County Detention Center without bond pending an Aniah’s Law hearing.

    The investigation remains ongoing.

    Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867).

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