What began as a situation involving a woman barricaded in a hotel room has morphed into a Twitter campaign to free Baltimore-area resident Shanteari Weems, who admits she shot her husband.
The incident began Thursday night at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C.
According to a police affidavit, the smoke detector went off in Weems ‘ hotel room and is believed to have been triggered by a gun being fired.
A hotel staff member who responded “observed blood on the wall” after entering the room.
When police responded, Weems would not let them in. The man in the room called out that he had been shot. Weems remained barricaded inside the room for about 30 minutes, according to WRC-TV.
After police forced their way into the room, Weems offered a justification for shooting the man, who she said was her husband of five years, according to The Washington Post.
She said children at the daycare she runs in Maryland told her that her husband had molested them. Weems said she reported the allegation to the proper authorities.
Police said a notebook with comments about the shooting included one from Weems that said, “I’m going to shoot [victim], but not kill him.”
Weems said she shot her husband because during their argument over the allegations, he rose and came towards her.
Do you believe her story?
Weems has been held in jail pending a hearing Monday, which enraged some activists on Twitter.
People across social media platforms are yelling “Free Her” after Shanteari Weems was arrested for shooting her husband. Weems owns a day care center & alleges her husband was molesting some of the children at said establishment.https://t.co/a6IfNq653D
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) July 24, 2022
“Free her” – Americans tell police to free woman and Daycare owner, Shanteari Weems, who shot her husband for allegedly molesting children at the centerhttps://t.co/SqaE2hMFGP
— ??KossyDerrickEnt (@KossyDerrickEnt) July 24, 2022
Shanteari Weems alleges she shot her husband because he was molesting kids at her day care business, court documents say https://t.co/WBLOGTqWo6 #DomesticViolence pic.twitter.com/Rcxu9K3Cbf
— Lipstick Alley (@lipstickalley) July 23, 2022
Weems, 50, of Randallstown, operates a daycare in Owings Mills, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The Baltimore Sun did not release the husband’s name but said he was a former Baltimore Police officer who retired department in 2005 and served as a contractor through 2008.
Police said the man’s wounds are not life-threatening.
Sgt. Gladys Brown, of the Baltimore County Police, said the daycare is closed “while an investigation moves forward.”
“Baltimore County detectives are currently monitoring the recent developments in Washington D.C.,” Brown said in a statement. “Due to the sensitive circumstances leading up to this incident, the Baltimore County Police Department continues to support the families impacted.”
Weems faces charges of assault with intent to kill and assault with a dangerous weapon.
