A Sawyerville man has been charged with murder in what the Hale County Sheriff’s Office is calling the county’s first homicide of 2026.
Rayderell Jermaine Tinker, 38, of County Road 35, Sawyerville, was charged Monday in Hale County District Court with:
- Murder, a Class A felony
- Possession of a pistol by a certain person forbidden, a Class C felony
The charges stem from the shooting death of Curtis Lamar White, 33, on the evening of Friday, May 2.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Investigator Jack D. Nelson of the Hale County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred at approximately 5:10 p.m. near the intersection of Alabama Highway 14 and County Road 77 in Sawyerville.
The complaint states that Tinker was driving a dark green Ford F-250 pickup and had turned off Highway 14 onto County Road 77 when he passed a car driven by White, who was traveling in the opposite direction toward Highway 14. Tinker told investigators he heard a gunshot as he passed White’s vehicle.
Tinker said he continued driving and saw White’s car stop in the road in his rearview mirror. White got out, and Tinker said he stopped his truck and got out as well. The two men then began shooting at each other with handguns, according to the complaint.
Tinker told investigators he fired all the rounds in his gun at White. Investigators recovered 15 empty 9mm casings in the roadway at the location where Tinker said he had been standing.
White fell onto the roadway in front of his car, the complaint states. Tinker said he turned his truck around and drove back to White’s vehicle, where he found White lying face up in the road with blood on his shirt on his right side.
Tinker told investigators he called 911 but did not render aid and left the scene before law enforcement arrived. White was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tinker was located by law enforcement at his mother’s home on County Road 35, according to the complaint. Hale County jail records indicate he was booked at 8:33 p.m. on May 2.
Sheriff Michael Hamilton told WBRC that the shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the two men. Tinker told investigators the two had been involved in altercations for a long time over an incident that occurred several years ago, according to the complaint.
In a May 4 interview with investigators, Tinker said he knew he was a convicted felon and was not permitted to possess a firearm, and admitted to having and using one, according to the complaint.
Tinker appeared before District Judge Timothy A. Evans on Monday for an initial appearance. As of May 5, Hale County District Court records listed the defendant’s status as jailed.
According to the court’s order on appearance, Tinker declined appointed counsel and requested a five-day continuance so that his retained attorney could be present for a hearing under Aniah’s Law, which governs pretrial detention for certain offenses.
Judge Evans ordered Tinker held without bail on the murder charge consistent with Alabama Code §15-13-3 and set an Aniah’s Law hearing for Tuesday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the Hale County Courthouse.
A preliminary hearing was set for Thursday, June 4 at 9:00 a.m. Bond on the felon-in-possession charge was set at $15,000, according to court records.
