On a spring afternoon in Richmond, Virginia, 34-year-old Elizabeth Ziegler, a Black/African American female, was walking with a friend along the 4200 block of Walmsley Boulevard on May 17, 2018. Their walk was violently interrupted when a man approached them, brandished a firearm, and opened fire. Ziegler was struck by multiple bullets. Despite being rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery, she succumbed to her injuries later that day.
In the wake of the shooting, the Richmond
Police Department sought the public's help in identifying the suspect, who was described as a tall, slender Black male with tattoos on his neck. Friends and acquaintances remembered Ziegler, who was known by the nickname "Strawberry." Her death drew significant media attention and prompted a response from the community, eager for answers and an end to the violence that had claimed a life.
Nearly a month after the fatal shooting, authorities made arrests in connection with Elizabeth Ziegler's murder. Zaquarie D. Hightower, 19, and Ayah A. Alshaer, 20, both of the 5700 block of Westover Village Drive, were taken into custody. At the time of their arrest, the Richmond Police indicated that additional charges against the pair were pending as the investigation continued.
