BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham police detective is in custody after a woman was shot and killed late Friday in a west Birmingham park, in what has been described as a “love triangle.”
“This is not a press conference that I wanted to give today or any other day, but it’s about the facts and the realities of life,” Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith said Saturday morning. “It’s a press conference about a love triangle gone wrong, something that happened very bad this morning.”
Smith said West Precinct officers responded about 11:51 p.m. Friday to Birmingham’s Germania Park after the city’s gunfire detection system, Shot Spotter, alerted them to shots fired, al.com reported.
Upon arrival, responding officers located a woman, 43, inside a vehicle who had been shot multiple times. Police determined the vehicle was an unmarked Birmingham police unit. The victim was identified as Kanisha Nicole Fuller.
The shooting victim was taken to UAB Hospital’s Trauma Center where she was pronounced dead early Saturday.
According to Chief Smith, Fuller was in the unmarked police vehicle with a male Birmingham police detective, who was not on duty at the time. The male detective was not identified. He was uninjured during the shooting.
Investigators quickly identified the suspected shooter as Alfreda Fluker, 39. She is also a Birmingham police detective who was off-duty at the time of the deadly encounter.
Fluker has been with the department for 15 years. She was assigned to the Crime Reduction Team.
“We’ve spent all of this night tracking down everything that we possibly could on this case, making sure we have all of the evidence, and that we were tracking the right person and bring the right person into custody,’’ Smith said.
Fluker was taken into custody Saturday about 7:00 a.m. at her home on the west side of the city. She was taken to police headquarters for questioning and then will be charged with multiple crimes, including capital murder, al.com reported.
“We followed every protocol to make sure we were doing everything the right way and even it when it leads to one of our own, we’re going to make the tough call and take the right actions,’’ Smith said.
Birmingham Police Department notified the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation to take over the probe, which is normal protocol under the circumstances.
Smith said he didn’t know the exact relationship between the two officers and the slain woman but sources say both women at one point or another had been in a relationship with the male officer. “It’s something that’s been going on for a little while,’’ he said, “but without our knowledge.”
“Today has been a very difficult day for the Birmingham Police Department as we’ve investigated and watched this tragic event unfold and three lives have been forever changed,” the department said in a statement. “Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to the victim and her family.”
