On the morning of October 28, 2021, 31-year-old LaToya Shardae Merritt was shot and killed inside her home on Howard Street in Talladega, Alabama. Authorities say a man identified as Kavaris Oden forced his way into the residence and fatally shot Merritt. Police later ruled the incident a murder-suicide after Oden took his own life. Merritt reportedly had an active restraining order against him at the time.

Merritt was a mother of three; her daughters were in the home during the attack but were not physically harmed. A Talladega High School graduate, she was studying for an associate’s degree in early childhood education at Strayer University and worked as a shipping clerk at an Amazon facility in Bessemer. Friends and family described her as loving and caring who enjoyed singing, dancing, and spending time with loved ones. A fundraiser was set up to support her children after her death.

If anyone knew LaToya, her routines, or has information about the events leading up to October 28, please come forward.