PORTLAND, Ore. — A woman charged with fatally shooting her brother, PSU athlete Deante Strickland, and shooting and injuring two other family members earlier this month, was arraigned Tuesday.
The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office filed a 14-count indictment against 30-year-old Tamena Strickland on Monday. The charges include one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Other charges in the indictment include one count of first-degree assault with a firearm, one count of second-degree assault with a firearm, three counts of unlawful use of a weapon and six counts of recklessly endangering another person.
On Tuesday, Strickland pleaded not guilty during a court appearance at the Multnomah County Justice Center. Many family members were in attendance, reported KGW's Tim Gordon.
Robert Crow, the attorney for Strickland, said the family is confused by what happened, and is grieving the loss of both Deante and Tamena.
"You saw a courtroom full of family supportive of both Tamena and Deante," he said. "This family is going through, 'We tragically lost a son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, but also a daughter, a niece, a cousin is in custody for killing him.' They are two different things, [but they're both] tragic, looking at it."
Deante Strickland, 22, was a Central Catholic High School graduate who went on to play basketball at Portland State University. He joined the Vikings football team in the spring to compete in his final year of eligibility in the fall, the university said.
Court documents said Deante and a 67-year-old woman were in the living room of a Northeast Portland home when Tamena shot them both. A 25-year-old woman was in another room when she heard gunshots and went to the living room, she told police. She said she saw Tamena aim a silver handgun at her and shoot her, according to court records.
The Oregonian reports that family members identified the other two victims as Tamena Strickland's grandmother Shirley Strickland, 67, and her 25-year-old aunt, whose name is also Shirley Strickland.
Later that night, Tamena surrendered to Portland police with her attorney.
Investigators recovered a gun as they searched a vehicle associated with Tamena, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.