Victim of multiple gunshots at apartment in Phenix City identified by county coroner

A Columbus man is dead and another man is in custody after a shooting in the 1500 block of 11th Avenue Tuesday in Phenix City.

Xavier J. Fair, 23, appears to have died of multiple gunshot wounds inside the 401 Building of Stonegate Apartments complex, the former Fredrick Douglass Apartments. He was pronounced dead at 4:48 p.m. at the scene and his body will be transported to Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for an autopsy, said Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr.

Phenix City Police Detective George Staudinger said authorities received a 911 call around 1:55 p.m. Tuesday. Police entered the second-floor apartment and found the victim dead.

Staudinger said one man was detained in connection to the shooting as the investigation continues. Police sealed off the apartment complex with yellow tape to keep onlookers from entering the area. Some residents who arrived home late required approval from police on the scene before entering nearby apartments.

A lifelong resident who didn’t want to be identified said the area has changed since she grew up in the complex.

“It’s been rough lately over here in Fredrick Douglass,” she said. “When I was growing up, we had a nice peaceful community and everybody got along.”

If there was ever a spat over something, she said there were no guns involved in the disputes. “We fought with our hands, not guns,” she said. “These new people coming over here are bringing guns which shouldn’t be.”

The woman said she ran to the complex after she saw a police car flying down the street. She tried to visit her sister’s apartment, just a door away from the fatal shooting scene.

“She didn’t know anything about the person who was shot,” he said. “We need to come together as a community to stop the violence.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Victim of multiple gunshots at apartment in Phenix City identified by county coroner."