Three dead in apparent murder/suicide on Charolais Drive, Tuscaloosa deputies say

Two adults and an 8-year-old boy died in an apparent murder/suicide Thursday morning, according to Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

Kennedy said that deputies with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence in the 9700 block of Charolais Drive in the Hinton Place subdivision around 3 a.m. after a shooting was reported.

When deputies arrived, several witnesses at the scene said that 34-year-old Darrin Lamar Patton Jr. may have shot his girlfriend inside the home during a domestic dispute.

The witnesses had fled the residence before the officers' arrival and reported that Patton, his girlfriend and her son were still inside.

The tactical unit of the Sheriff's Office was called to the scene and entered the residence, where Kennedy said that Patton, 29-year-old Derika Shanice McGhee, 29 and 8-year-old Aiden Carter Williams were found dead.

Investigators say they believe Patton killed McGhee, the boy and then himself. Patton was not the father of the boy, Kennedy said.

“All signs point to the suspect having killed both victims and then himself,” Kennedy said. “We ask that the privacy of the families involved be respected during this terrible and tragic event.”

McGhee’s cousin, De’Metria Gipson, told the Associated Press that the family is devastated by the tragedy.

“Derika and Aiden both will be missed tremendously. Derika could brighten anyone’s mood with her sense of humor and her oh-so-quirky personality,’′ Gipson said.

“Aiden was literally a heaven sent child. He was the most sweetest child you’d ever meet,” she said. “His presence was so calm and loving even if you didn’t know him, you’d want to. And he loved his mommy so much, and he was her everything. I’m happy they’re still together.”

The deaths of McGhee and Aiden are the first two homicides of 2022 in Tuscaloosa County. Last year, the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit investigated 22 homicides countywide. Of those, 19 have been closed by arrest, two are being sent to a grand jury for review of potential charges and one remains open – the slaying of Travoris Sheppard on Oct. 19.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannet.com

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Three dead in apparent murder/suicide in Tuscaloosa, deputies say