Shanika Minor. (FBI)
A Wisconsin woman who was added to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list this week has been captured in Fayatteville, North Carolina, FBI Milwaukee announced Friday.
Shanika Minor, 24, of Milwaukee, is charged in the slaying of a pregnant mother and was the only woman currently on the list.
Minor is accused in the March 6, 2016, shooting death of Tamecca Perry, 23, whose unborn child also did not survive, the FBI says.
Minor has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child. The FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading directly to Minor’s arrest.
“This is a particularly heinous and brutal crime,” Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn told WITI-TV.
Perry’s two surviving daughters witnessed the killing, along with her boyfriend, police said. She was just five days away from giving birth.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Minor Shot Perry Because She Thought the Pregnant Mom ‘Disrespected’ Her Family During a Fight Over Loud Music, Police Say
Shanika Minor confronted Tamecca Perry because her mother said she had been playing loud music at an unreasonable hour, the FBI said.
She pulled out a gun after confronting Perry on the sidewalk outside of her home, firing shots into the air. Minor’s mother was able to get her away from Perry, police said.
Minor was a former high school classmate of Perry. She returned to the duplex the day after the argument and again confronted Perry, and shot her during the second fight, police said.
“Due to the perceived notion that the victim had disparaged Minor’s family, Minor allegedly shot the victim,” the FBI said.
FBI Special Agent Chad Piontek, who is leading the investigation from the FBI’s Milwaukee Field Office, said “Apparently Minor believed that the victim had somehow disrespected her or her mother. It is a fairly violent neighborhood. Unfortunately, there is sometimes a street mentality about solving problems.”
“Most people who witnessed the (first) incident thought that was the end of it,” Piontek said.
2. Detectives Say Minor Fired the Fatal Shot Over Her Own Mother’s Shoulder as Her Mother Tried to Keep Her Away From Perry
Shanika Minor. (FBI)
Minor’s mother tried to intervene again on March 6, the day of the shooting, stepping between Minor and Perry. The shooting occurred outside Perry’s home as her two young daughters and boyfriend watched.
“Minor’s mother again ran to the scene, this time positioning herself between her daughter and the neighbor, trying to keep the peace,” the FBI said.
“She reached over her mother’s shoulder and fired a round at the victim—struck her in the chest,” FBI Special Agent Chad Piontek said on a podcast about the case. “The victim went back into her residence and collapsed and died in front of her two other children.”
You can listen to the FBI’s podcast about the shooting below:
The shooting occurred about 3 a.m., the FBI said.
3. Perry’s Mother Says She Wants Minor Caught ‘So She Can Rest’
Tamecca Perry was due to give birth to her third child a week after she was shot dead. (Facebook)
Tamecca Perry’s mother told WITI-TV she has not been able to sleep since her daughter’s murder.
“Wherever you at Shanika, I would appreciate it if you would come. I don`t want you to get hurt. I just want you to come forward,” Perry’s mother, Cynthia Freeman told the news station. “I just want her caught so I can rest. I don`t sleep. I don`t eat. I really want to know the reason why she would pull a gun out and do what she did to my daughter.”
Perry’s brother, her only sibling, was killed three weeks after the shooting, family members told WITI.
4. Minor Has Ties in Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio & Georgia
Shanika Minor. (FBI)
Shanika Minor has possible ties in Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and Georgia, the FBI said.
“Additionally, Minor does not have any history of prior travel outside of the United States or any contact with individuals residing internationally,” according to the FBI.
The FBI’s wanted poster can be seen below:
(FBI)
The FBI has not reported any sightings of Minor since she fled from the scene of the crime on the night of the shooting. It is not clear if her family is assisting in the investigation. Her mother called 911 on the night of the shooting to report the crime, police said.
Minor could be getting help from extended family members or a “network of friends,” Special Agent Chad Piontek said. He added that the help is “criminal” and could lead to charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive. He also said anyone helping her could be in danger themselves.
“The murder weapon was not recovered, and it is likely she is still armed,” Piontek said. “She killed someone who was not a stranger to her—a family acquaintance. Our hope is that whoever is assisting her will find the potential reward more attractive than protecting a person wanted for first-degree murder.”
5. The FBI Called the Killing by Minor, a Former Newspaper Deliveryperson, a ‘Senseless Crime’
Shanika Minor. (FBI)
Shanika Minor worked as a newspaper deliveryperson, the only job she is known to have had, the FBI says.
“There is no record she had any reliable employment,” Special Agent Chad Piontek said in a statement. “I don’t think she has a lot of resources on her own. Clearly, people have assisted her.”
The killing appeared to be out of character for her and unexpected, Milwaukee Police said.
“She was not one of those people where you saw this coming. So we don`t know how to explain this sudden progression, if you will,” Captain Aaron Raap told WITI-TV.
The FBI said Minor should be considered “armed and extremely dangerous.”
“This was a senseless crime,” Piontek said. “We believe Minor is capable of more violence. We need to capture her so no one else is harmed.”
Minor is the only woman on the FBI’s current “Most Wanted” list, which you can see here.
