Nationwide — Shawanda Alston, a 38-year-old African American mother from Bowie, Maryland, died after spending several days in the hospital following a shooting inside her home. Police say the mother of seven was shot in the head during an argument with the father of five of her children. She was reportedly holding her 2-month-old baby when the shooting happened inside the family’s home on Myrtle Avenue. Her death has left her oldest daughter, Zhanya Freeman, trying to support her six younger siblings while the family prepares for their mother’s funeral.
According to WUSA 9, one of the children called police and reported that her father had shot her mother. About two minutes later, 41-year-old Kimball Alton Hinton Jr. reportedly called police and admitted that he had shot his girlfriend. He also told dispatchers that the gun was inside a mailbox.
Hinton later told Bowie police that he and Alston had been arguing about back-to-school supplies for their children. Court documents say Alston was sitting on the bed and holding their infant when the argument escalated. Another child reportedly tried to intervene before Hinton allegedly pulled a gun from his pocket and shot her.
Several of the children were inside the home when the shooting occurred. Freeman was at work when police called to tell her that her mother had been shot and was in critical condition. Her 13-year-old sister was reportedly holding Alston until paramedics arrived, leaving the teenager deeply shaken by what she witnessed.
Freeman said she wants her mother to be remembered for the way she cared for her children and others. She recalled Alston preparing food for people experiencing homelessness and taking her children with her to distribute it. The family is now planning the funeral and working out how to care for the seven children following their mother’s death. They have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses. It has so far raised over $14,000.