Family mourns mother and child killed in Birmingham triple murder

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WIAT) – A Birmingham family is mourning the loss of a woman and her young son who were shot and killed in a car Saturday night.

Relatives say 28-year-old Arkia Berry and her five-year-old son Landyn Brooks were inseparable.

Arkia, known to friends and family as Kia, was a graduate of Parker High School and a trained cosmetologist. Landyn was set to start kindergarten in the fall and loved Spider-Man and football, Arkia’s cousin A’niya told CBS 42.

A’niya is also sure that Arkia would have protected her child in her final moments.

Birmingham police are investigating the shooting as a targeted attack. Shortly before the shooting, Arkia and Landyn were in a car with 28-year-old Eric Ashley Jr. in Echo Highlands Park.

Investigators believe there was an interaction with one or more suspects that resulted in their car being shot at. The bullet-riddled vehicle ended up in the 1700 block of Indian Summer Drive, where all three victims were found dead.

“Those responsible for these heinous crimes must know that we will bring them to justice with all the force and resources at our disposal,” Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said during a press conference on Sunday. “We will get you.”

Patricia Ann Dailey has lived in the Echo Highlands area for nearly 30 years. She says she has called the mayor’s office several times in the past about safety concerns about the park.

“This could have been prevented if the police had just done a patrol,” Dailey said. “We’re talking about two 28-year-olds and a baby. This could have been my grandchild, and I’m very upset about this and I want the mayor to know, ‘No, this will not happen again.'”

Court records show that Eric Ashley Jr. had a criminal past, but the motive is currently unknown. The family confirmed that Arkia and Eric were together at the time of her death.