On the morning of March 13, 2024, officers responded to a reported shooting in the 1900 block of Gay Street in Statesville, North Carolina. Responding officers found 43-year-old James Adrian Griffin in the roadway with a head injury; inside the residence, 47-year-old TaSheka La’na Reid Aleryani was discovered with gunshot wounds to her head and chest. Both were given medical attention and hospitalized. Aleryani died of her injuries later that evening around 7:30 p.m.

Preliminary investigators say an altercation occurred between Aleryani and Griffin inside the home, during which Griffin allegedly shot her. After his medical discharge on March 15, Griffin was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals’ Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force and charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was held without bond on the murder charge and given a $5,000 secured bond on the firearm charge; his initial court appearance was scheduled for March 18, 2024.

The Statesville Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit and Criminal Investigations Division continue investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at 704-878-3515. Did anyone in the Statesville area know TaSheka Aleryani or have information about what happened that morning?