Key Points
-
Jessica Shah files a contempt of court charge against a policewoman.
-
Police failed to confiscate a firearm involved in the murder of Shah’s daughter.
-
The mother continues to seek justice, calling for accountability in the case.
Jessica Shah, the mother of 25-year-old Sasha Lee Monique Shah, filed a contempt of court charge against a police officer. This charge comes almost three years after Sasha’s tragic death.
Sasha’s ex-boyfriend, Kyle Inderlall, shot her in the parking lot of Gateway Shopping Mall in October 2022.
Despite Sasha having been granted an interim protection order against him, Inderlall still had a firearm. The police failed to remove it as the law required.
Police failure to remove the weapon
Jessica Shah’s frustration grew after learning that the police officer in charge of domestic violence cases in the Phoenix SAPS did not remove the firearm from Inderlall’s possession.
The weapon used in Sasha’s murder was not confiscated, even though the magistrate ordered it.
Shah questioned how Inderlall could still have the firearm after two separate protection orders had been issued against him—one in 2021 by another woman and one in 2022 for Sasha.
“The law is clear, yet they didn’t enforce it. How is it that the police officer hasn’t been held accountable?” Shah asked.
She also expressed concern that the case was being handled by the same department where the officer worked. She urged for the case to be transferred to ensure a fair investigation.
Unanswered questions and pursuit of justice
Despite the inquest into Sasha’s death, which began in December 2023, no action had been taken a year later.
Shah, determined to seek justice for her daughter, filed the contempt charge and reached out to authorities, including the ministers of police and justice.
She criticized the lack of progress and said that authorities treated her daughter’s case as just another statistic.
Shah’s determination to seek justice for her daughter echoes her heartfelt commitment. “My daughter means everything to me. Who will fight for her, if not me?” she said.
“No other woman should die because of a police officer’s failure to act.”
