Montgomery mother shot and killed while sleeping in her bed

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Yvette Carter told her daughter on the phone that she had a headache and was going to sleep. Sometime after that, a bullet flew through her home, hitting and killing her. It happened on Feb. 11, 2023. Carter was just 52.

“She was caught in the crossfire,” her daughter Dedra Shearill said. “I think they were targeting someone else, and she got hit.”

Central Alabama CrimeStoppers surveillance video shows three suspects wearing hoodies in a small black sedan with no tint. One of the suspects gets out of the car, walks across the apartment complex, and pulls a rifle from his pants.

Yvette Carter’s oldest daughter believes there was an argument at the Sherwood Apartment complex on Hatton Drive, and a stray bullet hit her mother. Dedra said she always worried about her mom because crime had increasingly worsened in that part of town.

The ongoing violence and shootings already had the attention of city leaders. Right before Yvette Carter’s death, Montgomery City Council Member Oronde Mitchell called the Sherwood Apartment complex owners in for a hearing before the council. For years now, the city councilman has been going after apartment complex owners in Montgomery. He’s been calling for them to make changes and make their units more livable. This location was no different.

“At the time, this was maybe the second shooting, in probably a two-week span. So, we called them to a show-calls hearing. They had a lot of 911 calls, and service calls there, so we asked them to put some things in place, camera system, off-duty police officers, and security guards, because it was a big issue out at Sherwood. They fixed some of the things that we asked for, but not all the things,” Mitchell said.

But, when it comes to Yvette Carter, this was more than just politics. It was personal.

“We grew up from middle school to high school, so I’ve known Yvette my entire life,” Mitchell said.

So, to support this family, the City of Montgomery is offering a $1,000 reward for information in this case. In addition, Montgomery County and Central Alabama Crimestoppers are also offering $1,000 each, bringing the total to $3,000.

The Carter family says they are thankful but say it’s still very difficult Yvette Carter was described as sweet and soft-spoken, as someone who loved her family and her three girls. She was a Lee High School graduate and was known throughout the community.

“If I had a message for anyone, it would be to put the guns down. My family is devastated and heartbroken. My daughter is scared to sleep in her bed because she’s scared she’s going to get shot,” Dedra Shearill said. “While the money helps and we want an arrest, I know it’s not going to mend our broken heart…but maybe it will at least bring some type of closure. And we can find out who did this to my mom.”

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