Authorities in Phenix City reported the first homicide of the year on Sunday, February 15, 2026, when a lady was shot and killed at a residence on 17th Avenue South. Around 10:55 p.m., the Phenix City Police Department, firemen, and CARE Ambulance personnel arrived on the scene in the 100 block of 17th Avenue South. eastern time after a gunshot was reported.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered 52-year-old Contina Robinson suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr. pronounced her deceased at the scene at 11:49 p.m.
According to the Russell County Coroner’s Office, the shooting occurred at a residence located at 103 17th Avenue South, a residential street in Phenix City near the Alabama-Georgia state line. Officers at the scene quickly located the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Willie James Davis Jr., and he was taken into police custody without incident for the shooting. After an investigation by the Phenix City Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, Davis was formally charged with murder.
Davis was booked into the Russell County Jail at 4:43 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, and is currently being held without bond as he awaits further legal proceedings. Authorities have not released additional details regarding the relationship between the suspect and the victim or the specific circumstances that led to the fatal shooting, as the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Contina Robinson’s body will be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for an autopsy as part of the standard investigative protocol. The 52-year-old’s death marks a tragic milestone for Phenix City as the first homicide recorded within the city limits for the calendar year 2026, leaving family and friends to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of a loved one.
The Phenix City Police Department and the Russell County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and authorities have not indicated whether any additional charges are expected. The community now mourns the loss of Contina Robinson while the legal system prepares to prosecute the man accused of ending her life on a quiet Sunday night on 17th Avenue South, where an ordinary evening turned to tragedy in an instant.