In the late morning of February 27, 2021, the life of 32-year-old Curtis Lee Upshaw, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire at a Phenix City, Alabama, gas station. The incident unfolded at the Marathon Gas Station located at 911 Broad Street, a place that would become the final scene of Upshaw's life. When police officers arrived, they discovered him in the passenger seat of a vehicle, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Emergency medical
services were dispatched to the scene, and Upshaw was swiftly transported to Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital in nearby Columbus, Georgia. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, his injuries proved to be too severe. He was pronounced dead at 12:54 PM, leaving behind a grieving family and a community stunned by the brazen act of violence. The Russell County Coroner's Office arranged for his body to be sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics in Montgomery for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
The Phenix City Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Their efforts quickly led them to a suspect vehicle, which was located off Sandfort Road in Phenix City. This crucial discovery pointed them toward a person of interest. Investigators then arrested 19-year-old Markei Miles in connection with the fatal shooting. He was subsequently charged with capital murder in the death of Curtis Lee Upshaw.
