Selenia BG Middleton

Selenia Middleton, known to her loved ones as “BG,” was a woman with a big heart who cherished children and dreamed of one day owning her own funeral home. Born on January 15, 1990, the 29-year-old Black woman was remembered by her family as a loving and caring person. Her older sister, Quita Jones, described her as non-confrontational, which made the violent end to her life all the more shocking for those who knew her. Selenia’s life, full of promise and warmth, was tragically extinguished in Atlanta, Georgia, leaving a community to mourn a senseless loss.

On the afternoon of Monday, March 11, 2019, the Atlanta Police Department received a call about a serious car accident. First responders arrived at the scene to find a crashed vehicle and a female driver with grave injuries. The driver was Selenia Middleton, and she was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital. It was there that doctors made a startling discovery: Selenia had not been critically injured in the crash, but from a gunshot wound. A bullet was found in her temple, revealing the traffic accident was the aftermath of a homicide.

The circumstances of Selenia’s death were particularly harrowing. At the time she was shot, she was babysitting a five-year-old boy named DeAngelo, who was in the backseat of the car. The child witnessed the shooting and was then caught in the subsequent crash, suffering cuts and bruises to his face when the airbags deployed. Police identified a male passenger in the car, Virgil Fletcher, as the person who fired the pistol and intentionally shot Selenia, causing her death.

The investigation by the Atlanta Police Department moved swiftly in identifying the suspect. Virgil Fletcher, who was also injured in the crash, sustained a broken leg and was transported to the same hospital as Selenia. While he was a patient at Grady Memorial Hospital, he was under police watch. Authorities announced their intention to formally charge him and transfer him to jail as soon as he was medically released. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear to investigators, leaving Selenia's family and the community searching for answers.

In the days following her death, Selenia's family grieved publicly, sharing memories of her kind spirit. "Salina had a big heart. She loved everybody, especially children and would do anything for anyone," her sister told reporters. The family prepared to lay her to rest in her hometown of Savannah. Meanwhile, the mother of the young boy who witnessed the traumatic event focused on her son’s emotional recovery, expressing her worry for his well-being after such a terrifying experience.

As of the latest available reports from March 2019, Virgil Fletcher was identified as the shooter and was set to face charges upon his release from the hospital. However, further public records or news reports detailing his arrest, the specific charges filed against him, or the outcome of any subsequent legal proceedings are not available. The case's progression through the justice system remains unclear.