Keisha Wright was a 39-year-old Black woman from Montgomery, Alabama, described by those who knew her as a selfless, sweet, and caring working mother. A graduate of Litchfield High School, she was remembered as a genuine person who would always step up for others in times of need. Her sudden death left her four children, aged 8 to 14, without a mother and a community in shock.
The violence that took her life unfolded on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Around 2:30 p.m., near the 1200 block of West South Boulevard and Old Selma Road, two City of Montgomery Parks and Recreation employees were in their vehicle when Keisha ran up and tried to get inside. A man then fired at the city vehicle, striking it three times, though the employees were unharmed. Keisha fled toward a nearby wood line, and the man chased after her.
Other witnesses driving in the area saw a man chasing a woman into the woods. They lost sight of them but then heard a gunshot. Soon after, they saw a man run back toward Old Selma Road, get into a blue car, and speed away from the area. When police and fire medics arrived, they found Keisha by the wood line, unresponsive. She had been shot in the back of the head.
Keisha was rushed to a local hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries the next day, on April 17, 2025. The Montgomery Police Department’s investigation moved quickly. The blue car seen leaving the scene was located approximately eight miles away in the Sheridan Heights neighborhood. The city employees who had witnessed the chase were able to positively identify the suspect from a photographic lineup.
On April 17, police arrested Keisha’s husband, 38-year-old Freddie Wright. He was charged with her murder and taken to the Montgomery jail. While an arrest was made, authorities did not release a motive for the shooting and asked anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers, Secret Witness, or the Montgomery Police Department.
Following the tragedy, Keisha’s mother, Senta Simpson, shared that Keisha had wanted her to raise the children if anything ever happened to her. A fundraising page was established to help the family, who were facing an uncertain future. As of April 2025, the case against Freddie Wright was proceeding through the legal system.
