Man accused of fatal Dyersburg birthday party shooting arraigned in court

DYERSBURG, Tenn. — The man accused of a fatal shooting at a child’s birthday party last fall appeared Tuesday morning in court for an arraignment.

Torius Russell is accused of being the gunman in a fatal shooting last fall at a child’s birthday party, killing a young mother of two, Shanice Amerson.

“You have been charged first-degree felony murder, attempted first-degree murder, eight counts of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment,” Circuit Court Judge Lee Moore said.

Amerson was throwing an outdoor birthday party for her son when a man walked up from the street and opened fire on the crowd.

Seven other people were injured in the shooting, including a 6-year-old.

Investigators said they had been called to the home earlier that day after a disturbance with weapons. Authorities believe Russell was one of the men involved in the earlier disturbance, and he was arrested around 3 a.m. the next day.

Judge Moore appointed a public defender to represent Russell. He remains in the Dyer County Jail in lieu of a $2.5 million bond.

Russell is scheduled to appear in court again on April 18.