WASHINGTON — Support is rolling in for the woman accused of shooting and wounding her husband at the swanky Mandarin Oriental hotel in D.C.
Shanteari Weems, 50, claims her husband of five years, a retired Baltimore cop, is a child abuser. She says he molested multiple children at the daycare Kidz Kastle, which she owns in Baltimore County.
But despite the alleged violence, at least a dozen supporters crowded into the virtual courtroom at D.C. Superior Court Monday morning in hopes of seeing Weems released pending trial.
On TikTok, Twitter, and other social media platforms, advocates are sending messages under the hashtag #FreeShanteari. Some are asking how they can contribute to her legal defense.
"She's placed complaints to the proper authorities before... and her cries for help went unanswered," said Qiana Johnson, of the group called Harriet's Wildest Dreams, which is led by former organizers of Black Lives Matter DC.
Baltimore County Police say their investigation of the child abuse allegations is still open.
"Our public, our government, did not keep her or the children safe," said Johnson.
Police arrested the daycare owner at the hotel on Thursday, after staffers responded to a smoke alarm in Room 853, and saw blood on the wall. When police tried to get in, they say she screamed: "If you come in, I'm going to shoot myself." And when they asked about her husband, she yelled, "F him—he's a child molester!"
Her husband shouted that she'd shot him in the head and leg, and she allegedly responded: "Shut the f up… I will kill you!"
In a kind of diary, police say they found inside the room, Weems said it was multiple calls from parents and teachers about the alleged abuse that set her off, according to a supplemental charging document.
Weems apologized to the children and wrote out what police said was an informal last will and testament.
Supporters say Weems has yet to set up any kind of fundraiser to pay legal fees. Although several have been established in her name and very quickly taken offline by GoFundMe.