HOOVER, Alabama - A 28-year-old Birmingham woman is charged with murder following a deadly shooting at an Iron Bowl party in Hoover.
Adrian Laroze Briskey is awaiting transfer to the Shelby County Jail. Her bond is set at $75,000.
Briskey is charged in the shooting death of 36-year-old Michelle Shepherd, a mother of three and case worker for at risk youth and young parents. The shooting happened about 7 p.m. Saturday at the Summerchase at Riverchase apartments. Shepherd was pronounced dead on the scene.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said Shepherd and Briskey, both Alabama fans, got into an argument shortly after the game ended. The argument started inside the apartment, and spilled over into the parking lot. Derzis said the argument turned physical and both women ended up on the ground.
Briskey pulled a small caliber handgun and shot the other. Derzis said the two women didn't know each other. He said police have not yet confirmed what started the fight.
The victim's sister provided a different account of what led to the shooting. Neketa Shepherd said her sister was an Alabama fan, but even more than Alabama, she loved The Miami Heat. After the game ended, she and her sister were joking around, not about Alabama's loss, but about the Miami Heat. Briskey, Neketa Shepherd said, apparently took their joking the wrong way and became mad that they weren't more upset over Alabama's loss.
She said Briskey was drunk and belligerent and her friends took her outside to take her home. Since the game had ended and a card game was about to begin, the Shepherd sisters decided to head home. She said neither she nor her sister drink.
Briskey was still outside, and was still angry. "She was saying she was going to beat us up,'' Neketa Shepherd said. "Somebody was saying, 'they don't care about Alabama.'''
They got into their car to leave, but were blocked by people standing in the parking lot. Neketa Shepherd said they were concerned about hitting someone, so she and her sister got out of the car and asked them to move out of the way. They talked to some friends, and the next thing they knew, gunfire rang out. Neketa Shepherd said she heard five shots. "She was like 10 feet away. My sister never touched her, and she never touched my sister,'' she said. "They never had words."
Derzis today said Monday he stands behind the police version of what happened. The entire incident, he said, was senseless.
"It's a shame two Alabama fans who didn't know each went to a party and literally two lives were lost,'' the chief said. "It's a very unfortunate situation, and sad for all."