Piggly Wiggly Shooting Suspect Identified, At Large

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Birmingham Police Department is searching for a suspect it has identified in a Christmas Eve shooting in a Birmingham Piggly Wiggly grocery store. The female suspect is a former employee of the store who police say shot and killed 28-year-old Jerika Manuel.

The shooting occurred at roughly 12:15 p.m. inside the Piggly Wiggly off 29th Ave North in Birmingham. The suspect, identified as Sharonda James, is a black female and is still at large.

Birmingham PD Sgt. Johnny Williams said James entered the store after an altercation before James entered the store and shot Manuel, according to a report by Alabama Media Group. James fled the scene before police arrived.

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James has a criminal history, as Bessemer police arrested James in July on charges of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident. In July 2010, James was arrested by Birmingham police on a capital murder charge in the shooting death of 31-year-old Melvin Bozeman,who was the father of her child. The deadly shooting happened July 16, 2010 in the 700 block of 47th Street North. Police deemed the shooting self-defense.

Police say James is likely armed and dangerous.

Photo via Birmingham PD