Chiquita DeNorris George, 40, was shot and killed at the Crown Ridge Apartments on South Dale Street in Shelby on the evening of Thursday, November 6, 2025. Police responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire at about 10:35 p.m.; officers found a woman inside an apartment with gunshot wounds to the chest. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined an off-duty law enforcement officer from a neighboring jurisdiction was involved. The suspect, 37-year-old Mitchell Jermaine Hilton, an off-duty Cleveland County Sheriff’s deputy who lived at the same address as the victim, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He appeared in court on Friday, November 7, 2025, and was ordered held without bond. Hilton completed basic law enforcement training in 2023 and was hired by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office; the Sheriff’s Office expressed sorrow over the incident.

Further details about what led to the fatal shooting have not been released. Does anyone in Shelby have information about Chiquita George or the events that night?