By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – In a Shelby County courtroom filled with emotion, accountability and grief, 31-year-old Shaquille O’Neal Montgomery of Alabaster was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday, June 23, for hitting and severely injuring Pelham Police Officer Elizabeth Minter in a DUI crash in the summer of 2023.

Montgomery pleaded guilty to first-degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident with injury, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and second-degree possession of marijuana. All charges stem from the early-morning hours of July 1, 2023, when Montgomery—under the influence of alcohol and marijuana—struck Minter while she was directing traffic on I-65 South near exit 242.

At the time, Minter was still in training with the Pelham Police Department and was helping manage the scene of an earlier crash caused by a wrong-way driver. According to authorities, Montgomery ignored traffic cones, emergency lights and reflective vests before slamming into Minter at approximately 80 miles per hour, throwing her 30 feet through the air and scattering her equipment across six lanes of traffic.

Montgomery did not stop after the crash and was only slowed by the wreck ahead. His vehicle showed extensive damage on the front passenger side. At the scene, officers found marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms in his possession, and toxicology later confirmed the presence of alcohol and marijuana in his system.

Officer Minter, a mother of three, was rushed to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries. She spent over a month in the hospital, underwent dozens of surgeries and was told she would never walk again. She has since regained mobility but lives with permanent injuries, PTSD and chronic pain.

Minter took the stand Monday, walking with a visible limp, and delivered a gut-wrenching victim impact statement.

“Two years ago, I got ready for work like any other night,” she said. “I was proud to have the job that I had. I wanted to serve my community. The nightmares are unbearable. I was thrown 30 feet through the air… I asked God to end my life.”

She described how the crash robbed her of her career and passions.

“You stole my independence,” she said through tears. “Now, the life me and my family envisioned is very different. You didn’t take my will to survive—but you took away a life I had fought so hard to build.”

She also read emotional statements from her children, including her son Josiah: “I just wish we could run and play like we used to,” and her youngest daughter, who said, “I can’t snuggle close to her because it hurts.”

The courtroom was filled with Pelham city officials, many wearing “Justice for Minter” stickers. Officers from the Pelham Police Department lined the benches in silent support of their colleague.

On the other side sat Montgomery’s family and friends, several of whom took the stand as character witnesses, describing him as remorseful and kind-hearted. One said, “Shaquille is an amazing person. His heart is as pure as gold.”

Montgomery himself addressed the court directly.

“I wish I could rewind the clock back. It forever changed your life, and I hate it,” he said to Minter. “There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven’t thought about it. I pray that you can heal. I am deeply, regrettably sorry.”

Montgomery admitted to a long-standing struggle with substance abuse and said the crash had opened his eyes. But the prosecution argued that Montgomery had already been through the court system, including drug court and continued to make destructive choices.

Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Jody Tallie emphasized in her closing argument that this was not a tragic accident by someone unaware of the risks.

“He knew better,” she said. “This is someone who had chance after chance. He’d been through the drug court process. He still chose to get behind the wheel impaired.”

Tallie then revealed that Montgomery tested positive for marijuana just a week prior to his sentencing, despite knowing the court was still monitoring him.

Montgomery’s defense attorney, Thomas J. Moore, asked for a 12-year sentence, arguing that his client had shown genuine remorse and had never intentionally harmed anyone.

But Judge Jonathan A. Spann sided with the prosecution’s request for 15 years, saying the totality of Montgomery’s choices—and their devastating consequences—justified the maximum sentence for assault. All additional sentences will run concurrently.

“We felt like this was an appropriate sentence given everything that went into this,” said Ben Fuller, Shelby County’s Chief Deputy District Attorney. “It is hard to get a sentence that we feel balances being fair with being tough… but we believe 15 years is the right outcome.”

Montgomery was remanded to the Shelby County Jail and will be transferred to the Alabama Department of Corrections. He will be eligible for parole, though no date has been set. Minter will be notified when a parole hearing is scheduled.

The Pelham Police Department released a statement following the sentencing, calling Minter’s strength and resilience “inspiring” and reiterating their unwavering support.

“This case has deeply impacted our department, our city and all who know and love Officer Minter,” the department wrote. “While today’s sentencing brings a sense of closure in the legal process, it does not erase the pain or the long road to recovery she continues to face.”