Brittany Collier

Brittany Shuree Sutherland Collier was known as a devoted mother and an amazing person, remembered by friends as part of a "beautiful, brilliant family." The 37-year-old Black woman worked from home, dedicating her life to caring for her children. She and her family lived in a close-knit neighborhood on the far east side of Tucson, Arizona, where neighbors all knew each other and exchanged greetings. Friends described her as a "seriously devoted mother" and her family as hard-working. This loving home, however, became the scene of an unimaginable tragedy in the spring of 2023.

On the afternoon of Friday, April 21, 2023, the Tucson Police Department received a distressing 911 call from a residence near Houghton and Escalante roads. The caller reported that family members inside the house were unresponsive. When officers arrived at the home, they discovered a horrific scene. Inside, they found Brittany Collier and her 15-year-old son, Miguel Ubri, both deceased. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to begin the difficult task of piecing together the events that led to the two deaths. The investigation soon concluded that the incident was a murder-suicide. Detectives determined that Miguel Ubri had shot and killed his mother before turning the gun on himself. The case sent shockwaves through the community, leaving friends and neighbors in disbelief. An investigation was launched to determine how the teenager came to possess the firearm used in the tragedy.

The loss was devastating for those who knew the family. A friend, Anita Orme, whose daughter was best friends with Brittany, expressed her profound shock and grief. "We were just all together," she recalled, mentioning they had recently attended her granddaughter's senior performance together. She described Brittany's son as "a special guy" and struggled to comprehend the violence. "We wish we had those answers, and that's what hurts the most is because we don't have those answers," Orme said. The family also included a younger daughter, whom Brittany had reportedly dropped off at school before the shooting occurred.

In the days following the tragedy, a makeshift memorial appeared outside the family's home as neighbors, friends, and community members stopped by to pay their respects and mourn the sudden and violent loss. The grief was compounded by the unanswered questions surrounding the incident. Friends leaned on their faith, struggling to process the emptiness left behind. "We know tragedies happen, but this was so close to home we can't even process it," Orme shared.

The Tucson Police Department's investigation concluded that there were no outstanding suspects, as the person responsible for Brittany's death was also deceased. The case was closed, leaving a community to grieve and remember a mother lost in a devastating act of violence. As of April 2023, the investigation's findings classified the case as a murder-suicide, with the primary suspect deceased.