Family devastated after Alabama woman gunned down in front of daughter

DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — A Wiregrass family is picking up the pieces after one of its beloved members, a mother and daughter, was gunned down on her back porch.

Emelie Woodham said that her granddaughter Brittney Henderson was a nature-loving person who radiated life and positive energy throughout the entire family.

But after a midday shooting, a huge void has been left in her presence.

“It just broke our hearts in two, and it’s going to take a very long time, many years, to get over this,” Woodham said.

Earlier this week, the Dothan Police Department responded to the 400 block of Spring Street after reports of someone suffering from a gunshot wound. After arriving on the scene, emergency officials discovered the body of Henderson, who tragically died from a shot to the torso.

After receiving the news, the family was simply devastated.

“Her sister Tiffany called us, and she was the contact in Brittney’s phone,” Woodham said. “She said, ‘Y’all need to sit down, and y’all need to be together,’ and we knew then it was going to be bad, and of course we broke down. It’s the hardest news you could ever receive for a grandparent or a parent.”

Dothan police said Henderson was on the back porch when 22-year-old Vincent Phillips approached her after a brief interaction between the two. Phillips pulled out a gun and let off one shot, ultimately killing the mother of three, according to police.

Woodham said her granddaughter never knew Phillips, as they were simply neighbors, and is confused as to why he took Henderson’s life.

“First, I would want to ask him ‘Why? Why our Brittney? Why would you want to take her life, and you didn’t even know her? Why would you want to cause so much devastation in a large family that loved her so much,'” Woodham said.

The family is now left to help heal the mental health of one of the victim’s daughters, who was present at the time of the shooting.

“He told her that she was ‘evil,’ and as Brittney would do, she protected her child and told her to run and hide because she saw the gun, and she knew something bad was fixing to happen,” Woodham said.

Police would eventually go on to arrest and charge Phillips with capital murder, but investigators are still working to determine the motive behind the shooting.

While they may never fully understand his actions, the family said they will learn to forgive Phillips, though it may take a long time to do so.

“We’ve actually prayed for him,” Woodham said. “We’ve prayed for ourselves, and other people have just prayed for us to find a way to forgive him. I know that will take some time … . We want to be able to forgive, and that’s what Brittney would want us to do.”

Woodham wanted to thank the Dothan Police Department, as well as the Wiregrass Angel House, for helping her and the rest of the family navigate through the incredibly tough time.