Tamika Stallworth shot and killed her 10-month-old great-niece on Christmas Eve and has now been charged with her murder.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Stallworth began shooting at an occupied vehicle and accidentally hit baby Jamaya Austin in the face while attempting to shoot the driver for reasons that were not specified.
After the shooting, Jamaya was taken to a local hospital in Alabama. She was transferred to another hospital but later died.
“A life, a precious life was lost in a very needless way,” Charlie Stallworth, Jamaya’s uncle, told Fox 59 News. “Just an adorable baby. It’s just so unfortunate. Difficult to understand and to put our minds around.”
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Tamika Stallworth shot and killed her great-niece, Jamaya Austin, on Christmas Eve, 2019. Below is a photo of Jamaya.
“I hate it happened. I’m a father here and I reiterate that fact. I just can’t imagine losing a child in that manner you know,” Marcus Thompson, a relative of both the victim and suspect told WKRG.
“Most of us up here are related some sort of way. It’s a tight-knit community. We’re all just family,” Thompson continued. “It’s been like that many, many years. This is devastating. This is a set back not only to that family personally, but to all of us.”
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Stallworth was arrested that night and then charged with murdering the young girl two days later. She is currently being held on a $750,00 bond.
The family is at a loss as to what prompted Stallworth to begin shooting at the car in the first place.
“I’ve never known Tamika to have a single violent bone in her body,” Stallworth continued telling Fox 59 News. “She is always kind and compassionate, which makes the ordeal hard to grasp.”