In the early afternoon of Monday, March 30, 2026, the life of Rafiel Riggins, a 20-year-old Black male from Alexander City, Alabama, was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire. Around 1:00 p.m., police responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired at the intersection of 3rd Street and 10th Avenue. Upon their arrival, they discovered a silver Hyundai Elantra, and inside, the bodies of Riggins and his 19-year-old companion, Fitzgerald Wilson, also of Alexander City.
Both young men had been shot multiple times from outside the vehicle and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Alexander City Police Department immediately launched a double homicide investigation into the daylight shooting. As investigators worked to piece together the events that led to the deaths of Riggins and Wilson, a motive was not immediately clear, and no suspects were initially named. In an effort to generate leads from the public, CrimeStoppers announced a $2,000 cash reward for any information that would lead to the identification and arrest of those responsible for the killings. Authorities stressed that any detail, no matter how insignificant it might seem, could be crucial in solving the case and bringing justice to the families of the two victims.
A break in the case came on Friday, April 3, 2026, when Alexander City Police Department investigators arrested two brothers in connection with the double homicide. Markeis Diquon Smart, 22, of Dadeville, and his younger brother, 19-year-old Jordan Hakeim Smart of Alexander City, were taken into custody. Both were charged with two counts of capital murder for the deaths of persons in a vehicle. Markeis Smart faced an additional charge of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. Following their arrest, the brothers were transported to the Tallapoosa County Jail to await a bond hearing. During a subsequent court hearing, further details about the double murder began to emerge as the legal process against the two suspects moved forward.
