Alabama man accused of murder arrested at Mississippi Coast casino, police say

Martha Sanchez
·1 min read
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Police arrested an Alabama murder suspect on Tuesday at the Island View Casino in Gulfport, authorities said.

Jail records show Cornelius Smith, 48, was arrested by Gulfport Police late Tuesday and booked on a homicide charge.

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office began searching for Smith on Tuesday after a request from the police department in Chickasaw, Alabama, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Authorities went to a hotel at 370 West Lee Street in Chickasaw and found a man identified as Christopher Ryan Martin, 39, shot under his chin, the release said.

Police said they searched room 235 of the hotel and found a 9mm shell casing under Martin and near his neck.

Detectives watched hotel surveillance footage and saw a man arrive at the room about 3:40 a.m. They said they heard a gunshot on the footage at 3:41 a.m., then watched a man leave the hotel in a dark SUV.

Police identified that man as Smith. Gulfport Police, Mobile County deputies and U.S. Marshalls found Smith at the casino in Gulfport.

Smith was at the Harrison County jail on Wednesday awaiting extradition to Mobile County.