On March 4, 2022, the life of 36-year-old Britney McKenzie Potts, a Black / African American female from Tallassee, Alabama, was tragically cut short in the parking lot of her workplace. The incident unfolded around 9:19 a.m. at Hanil USA, an automotive manufacturing facility, where authorities responded to reports of a shooting in progress. Upon their arrival, they discovered Britney with multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect in the fatal shooting was quickly identified as Britney's husband, 44-year-old Clifton Potts. He fled the scene in a gray 2021 Dodge Challenger, prompting a manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Later that same day, at approximately 12:10 p.m., Clifton Potts was apprehended in the parking lot of a hotel in Phenix City, Alabama.
Investigations into the incident revealed a troubled history for Clifton Potts, who had been released from prison less than 48 hours before his wife's death. He had been serving time for drug-related offenses and possessed a criminal record spanning 25 years, with convictions for assault, domestic violence, intimidating a witness, and drug distribution. During his first court appearance for the murder of his wife, Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson described the shooting as an 'execution,' citing surveillance footage that captured the event. In a surprising turn during the hearing, Clifton Potts reportedly stated, 'It was a crime of passion.' He was subsequently charged with murder and held on a $2 million cash bond.
