LEE COUNTY (October 20, 2025) – On October 19, 2025, at approximately 6:30pm, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call in reference to a 34-year-old male having been shot in the chest in the 8000 block of Lee Road 246 in the city of Smiths Station, AL.
Lee County deputies arrived on the scene approximately four minutes later and found the victim with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the chest. ETS and Life Flight were immediately dispatched. Due to the severity of the injury the victim was transported to the closest medical facility, Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital in Phenix City, AL, where he succumbed to his injuries. The victim was identified as Anthony Hodge (34) from Smith Station.
Lee County deputies were able to locate the suspect, Jeremy Chandler Wiggins (20) from Phenix City in the parking lot of a store in the area. He was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Lee County Detention Center. He was arrested and charged with one count of Murder. The shooting took place at the victim’s residence, and the men were acquaintances.
The victim will be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for a postmortem examination. Wiggins is being held at the Lee County Detention Center with no bond, pending an Aniah’s Law hearing.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867).
