In the quiet evening of May 27, 2019, the life of 40-year-old Selwondra Pugh, a beloved mother of three, was tragically cut short in Mobile, Alabama. A domestic dispute escalated into a fatal encounter, leaving a family and community to grapple with the sudden and violent loss.
That night, at approximately 9:13 p.m., Mobile police were dispatched to the 400 block of Magnolia Road following reports of a shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Selwondra Pugh suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was rushed to a local hospital, but her injuries proved to be too severe, and she was pronounced dead.
The investigation that followed quickly identified her 42-year-old boyfriend, Jason Cooley, as the primary suspect. According to law enforcement, the shooting was the culmination of a heated argument between the couple. Witnesses reported that the dispute began in the kitchen, where Cooley allegedly threw a chair. In response, Pugh reportedly threw a liquid on him. It was at this point that Cooley is said to have gone outside, retrieved a firearm, and returned to shoot Pugh multiple times.
Jason Cooley was arrested and charged with the murder of Selwondra Pugh. During a subsequent bond hearing, it was revealed that Cooley had a background in law enforcement, having previously worked for the Prichard Police Department for approximately seven months in 2014 and for the Port Authority for a brief period in 2007. A judge set his bond at $150,000. Due to a conflict of interest with the Mobile County District Attorney's office, the prosecution of the case was handed over to the Baldwin County District Attorney's office. In a later, unrelated incident in December 2021, Cooley was arrested again on a first-degree assault charge by the Prichard Police Department. The final outcome of the murder charge against Jason Cooley in connection with the death of Selwondra Pugh is not detailed in the available online sources.
