In the late hours of a Tuesday night in Selma, Alabama, a call to 911 would set in motion a tragic and swift-moving investigation. On November 21, 2023, Selma Police Department's own Evidence Technician, 30-year-old Jamyron Hope, made a distress call reporting an incident unfolding on the 3400 block of Water Avenue. When officers arrived at the scene in front of the Henry Brick Company, they found Hope unresponsive in the street, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
The investigation
into the death of the male evidence technician was quickly handed over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation. A crucial piece of evidence proved to be the 911 call Hope himself had placed just before his death, which helped lead investigators to a suspect who was still at the scene. Within a day, the investigation led to an arrest.
On November 22, 2023, state investigators formally charged 22-year-old Cordel Dewayne Tyus with capital murder in connection with Jamyron Hope's death. Charging documents revealed that the motive was robbery, alleging that Tyus shot Hope with a Glock. 40-caliber handgun while stealing money from him. This element of theft during the commission of the murder led to the capital charge.
Cordel Dewayne Tyus was taken into custody and is being held without bond at the Dallas County Jail. He made his first court appearance on November 24, 2023, where a judge appointed legal counsel for him. A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for January 22, 2024. As the legal process began, the community and the Selma Police Department mourned the loss of Hope, who was remembered by his chief as a 'great asset' to the department.
