Woman Appears in Court in Portland State Basketball Player Death

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A woman accused of fatally shooting her brother, a Portland State University basketball player, and injuring her aunt and grandmother in Portland made her first court appearance Monday.

Tamena StricklandTamena Strickland, 30, made no public statements and didn't enter a plea in Multnomah County Circuit Court, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. She stood with her hands at her waist for most of the brief hearing and at one point turned away from her attorney, appearing to try to stop herself from crying.

Around 40 people sat in the gallery. Family members and friends declined to comment after the hearing. Strickland is scheduled to appear in court again next week.

Strickland will remain held in the county jail on accusations of murder and attempted murder in the shootings of her 22-year-old brother, Deante Strickland, and her two other relatives.

Authorities have declined to identify them, but family members have identified them to The Oregonian/OregonLive as Tamena Strickland's grandmother Shirley Strickland, 67, and her 25-year-old aunt, whose name is also Shirley Strickland. Both are expected to survive.

The shootings happened at a house in the city Friday afternoon and police said they took Tamena Strickland into custody later Friday. Court documents say a gun was recovered when investigators searched a vehicle associated with her.

Police have not released any information about what led up to the shootings.

Portland State University officials have confirmed that Deante Strickland was a basketball player at the school, where he went after starring at Casper College in Wyoming.

Strickland also earned All-State honors at Central Catholic High School in Portland, where he played basketball and football. He was a member of Central Catholic's state-champion football teams his junior and senior years, and was a key reserve on Portland State's men's basketball team the past two seasons, averaging 7.4 points in 65 games.

Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive.