Martha McGinsey, 62, was fatally shot in her Mobile, Alabama, home on September 29, 2020. Authorities say she was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire of a retaliatory act after the earlier killing that day of 25-year-old Keontae McCants.

McGinsey’s son, Sidney Zireef Burke, was charged with murder in McCants’ death. Police say a group of individuals then targeted McGinsey in what investigators believe was direct retaliation. Home surveillance footage helped identify five men who were arrested; four were described as relatives of McCants and the fifth as a family friend. The group was also accused of firing shots into the home of Burke’s father shortly after McGinsey was killed. All five were charged with murder and firing into an occupied building.

This case centers on a deadly cycle of retaliation in which an uninvolved woman lost her life. If anyone knew Martha McGinsey, her family, or has information about the individuals involved, please come forward.