In the late afternoon of October 29, 2022, a heated argument at a Fairfield, Alabama hotel tragically escalated, ending the life of 30-year-old Kernisha Jenay McClinon. Witnesses reported that the female was attempting to get away from a man when he drew a handgun and shot her. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m. and found McClinon with a fatal gunshot wound.
The suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Cortney Dion Price, fled the hotel on foot, sparking a chaotic and violent chain of events.
Just over an hour after the shooting, at approximately 6:39 p.m., Price allegedly carjacked a family at gunpoint, stealing their vehicle. A mere five minutes later, a 60-year-old bicyclist named Ray B. Dover Jr. was struck and killed by a vehicle that then fled the scene. Authorities located the stolen vehicle and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended when Price crashed the car, at which point he was taken into custody by sheriff's deputies.
Following his arrest, Cortney Dion Price was booked into the Jefferson County jail in Bessemer. He was initially held without bond on a murder charge related to the death of Kernisha Jenay McClinon. Law enforcement officials indicated that additional charges were expected to be filed against him in connection with the subsequent carjacking and the death of Ray B. Dover Jr.
