Mobile police on Wednesday offered additional details in a fatal shooting that prosecutors upgraded to capital murder.
It happened Tuesday at about 11:30 p.m. at Wilmer Hall, a transitional housing facility on Old Shell Road where the pregnant victim was living with her infant child. Police quickly arrested David Terrell Smith, and then prosecutors on Wednesday elevated charges against the 21-year-old Mobile man to capital murder.
Officer Roderick Miles, a Mobile police spokesman, said Smith is the father of 20-year-old Amiayia White’s baby. He said Smith, who is the child’s father, forced his way through a locked door, tracked down White and then shot her with a handgun. Miles said the shooting appears to have sprung from a domestic dispute but that a motive is unclear at this time. “We don’t know if she was using a transition facility to get away from him, or maybe something else, or how long she’s been at that facility, and why he decided to go to that facility, forcibly break inside of the facility, locate her, and unfortunately, she’s deceased because of it,” he said. Wilmer Hall is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and has served Mobile since 1864, when it was an orphanage. It has five different current components, including a transitional family program for young mothers and their children who are at risk of being homeless or living in unsafe homes. Russell Buffkin, an attorney who represents Wilmer Hall, said the nonprofit is cooperating with the investigation. He said the facility is staffed at all hours and has locks and security cameras. But he said it does not have security guards. “It’s an awful tragedy, obviously,” he said. “It’s sudden, unexpected – very tragic. You know, a young lady tragically lost her life and, you know, certainly people there are mourning for her, her family, as well as grieving for themselves.” Prosecutors are alleging three different aggravating factors that qualify the shooting as capital murder. They allege Smith committed the murder during a burglary. It also is a capital offense to commit an intentional killing in front of a child younger than 14. In additon, the District Attorney’s Office alleges that since White was pregnant, it is capital murder in the death of two or more people. The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office has not yet said whether it intends to seek the death penalty. Smith has a bond hearing Thursday afternoon.“Not aware of an incident on Wilmer Hall’s campus, ever – at least since I’ve been involved with them in various roles,” he said.2 children, ages 9 and 10, charged with attempted murder, rape in brutal attack on 5-year-old girl, prosecutors sayPilot and his 2 daughters found dead after plane crash in Montana, officials say ‘I didn’t know he was under my car’: Murder suspect’s 911 call after police say he dragged a man under his car 2 miles
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