Late Monday night, the quiet of the Woodlawn Manor Apartments complex in Tuscaloosa shattered when gunfire claimed the lives of two young sisters and wounded a teenage boy. They’ve now been identified as 20-year-old Kaliyah Houston and her 16-year-old sister. The incident began as an argument between Kaliyah and her guest, 19-year-old Keshawn Jermichael Woods, who had been living with her for months, according to investigators.
According to the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, officers arrived around 11:30 p.m. Monday at 3820 1st Avenue — the address for the Woodlawn Manor complex — to find three people shot. Kaliyah and her younger sister were already dead at the scene. A 17-year-old boy was also shot but is expected to survive.
Investigators say the argument escalated inside Kaliyah’s apartment. Woods allegedly pulled a handgun during the dispute and opened fire, striking both sisters and the teenage boy. Several very young children—including an infant—were inside the home during the shooting but were miraculously unharmed.
After the shooting, Woods fled the scene on foot. He was later located and arrested by the U.S. Marshals Task Force, according to authorities. He faces charges of two counts of capital murder for the killings, plus one count of attempted murder for the teen who survived. He is being held without bond at the Tuscaloosa County Jail.
The tragedy has rattled the Woodlawn Manor community. Residents say the area is usually quiet, and many are now left grappling with the loss of two local young women whose lives ended in a moment of violence. The fact that children were present—and escaped injury—underscores the narrow margin between a household moment and irreparable pain.
Kaliyah had reportedly allowed Woods to live with her for some time, a decision that may have seemed harmless but turned fatal when tensions rose. According to police, the presence of a resident guest, the age difference, and an argument that spiraled underscore how domestic disputes can escalate with devastating consequences.
As the investigation continues, the Violent Crimes Unit is asking anyone with knowledge of the incident or the moments leading up to it to come forward. For a community still processing shock and grief, the hope is that answers will bring some measure of understanding—even if they cannot undo the loss.
In the wake of this shooting, the message is heartbreaking but clear: from one argument to two lives lost, three people shot, an entire apartment complex in mourning—and the small voices of infants and young children left to face a world where nothing will ever be the same.
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