Alabama detective killed by ex who is now charged with capital murder
Det. Tanisha Pughsley suffered a gunshot wound and died at her home
An off-duty Alabama detective was fatally shot in her home and killed by her ex-boyfriend in what is being described as a domestic dispute.
Detective Tanisha Pughsley, 27, was found fatally shot on Monday by authorities. She’d been with the Montgomery police department since 2016 and was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials believe the shooting was likely due to domestic abuse, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.
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City of Montgomery flags were flown at half staff and black wreaths were placed at the doors of the MDP Headquarters in tribute.
“Our entire community today mourns the death of one of our own, Tanisha Pughsley. Detective Pughsley answered the call to serve, defend and protect our city. We stand today with her family, friends, colleagues and all who loved her, praying for comfort, peace and healing during this tragic time,” Mayor Steven L. Reed said in a statement.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Lloria James announced charges against Brandon Deshawn Webster, 24. He’s been charged with capital murder while in the commission of a burglary, capital murder in violation of a court-issued protection order, and attempted murder.
The two were previously in a relationship that turned violent and Pughsley sought help from the courts. In May, she’d taken out a restraining order against him saying she feared for her safety. Pughsley claimed that Webster hit her twice on the side of the head with an open hand while she was holding a 5-month-old infant.
“His actions caused me to drop the infant,” she wrote on the protection order request.
“Although Brandon has moved out of the residence, he continues to unexpectedly show up and physically assault me. He sends threatening text messages and once he is blocked, he continues to call my phone from a private number.”
She also requested that Webster surrender all his firearms but the presiding judge did not make it a requirement in the protection order which was granted on June 19. Webster was ordered out of the house they once shared and where she was ultimately killed.
Pughsley was not only mourned by the police force but her alma mater, Alabama State University, where she earned a degree in criminal justice.
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“We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to her family and coworkers,” ASU President Quinton Ross said in a message to university students and staff.
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