Man found fatally shot behind Russell Co. church identified, sheriff says
After further investigation, sheriff’s investigators in Russell County, Alabama, have identified a man found fatally shot behind a church Thursday afternoon.
Sheriff Heath Taylor said late Thursday that the victim was Christopher Roper, 38, who lived on Cut Rate Road in Phenix City.
The sheriff at a news conference that evening told reporters about the body’s discovery, but at that time did not want to provide a detailed description, saying he didn’t want the man’s loved ones to learn of his death from news reports.
“We are trying to identify the body now. We are trying to find anything that can help us with that, to include social media,” he said.
Workers building the Seventh-day Advent Church off Kite Town Road found the body around lunchtime, calling the sheriff’s office at 12:49 p.m., Taylor said. The church has a Seale address, but is closer to Fort Mitchell.
Taylor said he believes the man was shot by someone he knew, because he had one hand in his pants pocket, an indication no struggle ensued, the sheriff said.
The body will be sent to a state pathologist for an autopsy, Taylor said.
Investigators also are canvassing the area to determine whether any residents had security cameras that might have recorded a passing vehicle or other images possibly related to the case, he said. Cameras hadn’t been installed yet at the church.
When shooting may have happened
The church construction is about 95% complete, and workers who left the site Wednesday did not return until midday Thursday, he said. Investigators suspect the shooting happened Thursday morning, Taylor said.
“There wasn’t a whole lot at the scene, as you might imagine,” he said. “He was there, not much around him, to give us any indication about what occurred.”
The church is at the intersection of Kitetown and Uchee Pines roads, just a few miles west of where Alabama Highway 165 cuts through Fort Mitchell.
“It’s right on the line between Fort Mitchell and Seale,” Taylor said.
Anyone with information on the shooting may call the sheriff’s office at 334-298-6535 or offer tips on the agency’s website, www.rcso.org, or on its Facebook page, facebook.com/Russell-County-Sheriffs-Office-55849517861.
This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:58 PM.