Background: News coverage captures the location in Jackson, Miss. where Adrione Triggs was fatally shot (WLBT). Inset: Aziza Young (Adams County Sheriff’s Office).
A woman from Mississippi, accused of fatally shooting her boyfriend and fleeing in his vehicle, later surrendered to the authorities — but not before notifying a local newspaper first.
Aziza Young, aged 35, was apprehended on Monday by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office after she voluntarily turned herself in with the Natchez Democrat, a regional newspaper present. The paper reported that Young reached out to them initially because she was apprehensive about the consequences she might face when handing herself over to police.
The Jackson Police Department had a warrant out for Young’s arrest in connection to the shooting death of her boyfriend, 45-year-old Adrione Triggs, and the theft of his car.
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During a press conference on Monday carried by WLBT, a local NBC affiliate, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said the alleged altercation between Young and Triggs was “a domestic situation,” and the alleged shooting was determined to be “calculated” by Young.
Young told the Natchez Democrat that she was acting in self-defense and that he threatened to kill her.
When asked by a reporter about the possibility of Young having acted in self-defense, Wade said witnesses at the scene saw something to the contrary. He stated, “Based on our investigation, she was not defending herself. Based on witness accounts, who witnessed the situation, she was not defending herself.”
Wade added that, according to investigators, Young “did drag the body. She attempted to move the body. That’s based on witness accounts.” Before Young’s arrest, Wade urged her to contact the police to give them her account. “If you’re defending yourself after you took his life, call us. Call someone. Don’t try to drag the body and move the body somewhere to fit some narrative you’re trying to put together.”
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After Young called the Natchez Democrat, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip that Young was in Natchez, Mississippi, and wanted to turn herself in. After Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten confirmed the warrants for Young with Chief Wade, sheriff’s deputies and Natchez police officers arrived at a residence where Young was waiting, along with press from the Natchez Democrat.
Patten told the paper, “We were able to take her into custody without any incident. She didn’t resist or fight or do anything. She was just scared. … She was standing there trembling because she didn’t know how it was going to go.”
Young appeared in court on Wednesday for a bond hearing. According to courtroom reporting by local ABC affiliate WAPT, a police officer who worked the scene of Triggs’ homicide told the court that, according to witnesses, Young and Triggs arrived at the home together and were already arguing.
At some point, witnesses said Young left the house and went back to Triggs’ car, where she was reportedly seen putting on a blue, latex surgical glove and allegedly removing a gun from the vehicle. The officer stated that Young hid herself by the side of the house and waited for Triggs to come out. When he did, she allegedly shot him in the back.
The officer stated that a struggle for the gun ensued, and Young allegedly shot Triggs several more times before fleeing the scene in his car.
In court, Young’s attorney maintained that she acted in self-defense.
Young’s bond was set at $1,025,000 — $1 million for the murder charge and $25,000 for allegedly stealing Triggs’ car. She is expected to be returned to Jackson to face charges.
