Alexis Woods, a 27-year-old Black female, was killed on June 28, 2021, after a violent moment inside a car ended near the Christiana Mall in Newark, Delaware. What first reached police as a crash call quickly became something far more serious. Around 4:10 p.m., Delaware State Police responded to the area near the Target store at the mall, where a black Ford Fusion had struck a metal guardrail along Christiana Mall Road.
Woods was found unresponsive in the driver's seat, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to Christiana Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators soon determined that Woods had not been alone in the vehicle. Police said 24-year-old Shaidiah McNeair, of Philadelphia, had been inside the car and got out before troopers arrived. Officers searched the area and found McNeair nearby, taking her into custody a short time later. During the evidence search, troopers also found a white plastic bag along an embankment that contained a handgun.
The case took shape around what authorities described as a shooting inside the moving or recently moving car. Court documents reported by local news said Woods and McNeair, who were described as being romantically involved, began arguing during the drive. McNeair allegedly told police she pulled out a gun to scare Woods, and that the weapon fired. Woods was struck, the vehicle crashed, and McNeair left the car before she was apprehended.
McNeair was charged with felony manslaughter and a firearm-related offense, including possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. She was arraigned and held on $250,000 bail at the Delores J. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution. Police continued to describe the matter as an active homicide investigation and asked anyone with information to contact the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit.
Family members publicly questioned the account that the shooting was accidental. Woods' aunt said the family believed she had been shot by someone she knew and expressed suspicion that the shooting may have been planned. The available online reports identify McNeair as the arrested suspect and describe the charges filed shortly after Woods' death, but they do not provide a clear final court outcome, trial result, plea, conviction, or sentencing disposition.
