Murder Arrest Made Weeks After Shooting at Lee County Party

July 28, 2026

LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) — A Phenix City man has been arrested after a deadly shooting at an open house party in Lee County.

18-year-old Raymond Earl has been charged with murder and is being held in the Lee County Detention Center.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred in the 800 block of Lee Road 197 during an open house party on July 11.

When first responders arrived, they found 18-year-old Anthony Onochie, of Columbus, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

Onochie was transported to Piedmont Columbus Regional where he was pronounced dead around 11:30 a.m. CST.

Investigators, the Lee County SWAT Team, and members of the United States Marshal Service conducted a search warrant in the 300 Block of Lee Road 706 in the Beauregard community on July 27. This resulted in Earl’s arrest.

The suspect is being held without bond and awaiting an Aniah’s Law hearing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-7867.

Source: WSFA

Author: Jerry Katz

Jerry Katz is the creator of Opelika Daily News. A former broadcaster, he has been writing about Opelika for more than twenty years — first as a blogger, now as the one-person newsroom behind this site. He curates the region's local news daily, writes the Katz Ramblings column and the weekly From the Archives look-back, and maintains an archive of more than 3,200 posts reaching back to 2002. He lives in Opelika. Reach him at jerry@opelikadailynews.com. View all posts by Jerry Katz