An 18-year-old Selma man has been charged with capital murder for allegedly shooting and killing 73-year-old Juanita Tripp on Christmas Day.

Tyrone Booker, 18, was arrested Saturday after returning to Selma from Mississippi. Booker was arraigned Tuesday by Circuit Judge Collins Pettway Jr. and denied bond.

Captain Mike Granthum with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said Booker was denied bond because he is a flight risk and for his own protection due to the possibility of retaliation. Granthum said Booker is from Dallas County but allegedly fled to a family member’s house in Mississippi.

A warrant for capital murder has also been issued for the arrest of 18-year-old Jalin Booker, Tyrone Booker’s cousin.

Tripp was killed on Christmas day around 6 p.m. when she was calling for her grandchildren to come inside. Granthum said witnesses recalled multiple shots being fired at Tripp’s house on Laredo Court.

“The kids were outside playing. It was getting dark past the time for them to be in. She was actually at the door trying to get them in,” Granthum said. “She opened the wooden door, and she was between the wooden door and the glass door. The bullet actually penetrated the glass and struck her in the leg.”

Tripp was rushed to the hospital but died, according to Sheriff Harris Huffman. Her daughter, who Granthum said was sitting outside when the shooting happened, was also injured. Granthum said it appeared she was grazed by a bullet.

Tyrone and Jalin were identified by multiple witnesses as the alleged gunmen, according to Granthum.

“These people were actually picked out of a photo lineup,” he said. “They were positively identified as the subjects shooting their weapons toward Mrs. Tripp’s residence.”

Granthum said investigators don’t know why Tyrone and Jalin allegedly shot at Tripp’s house. That is something they are still trying to piece together.

“Was it a mistaken ID of who was at the door or not? We don’t know,” he said. “We’re in the process of putting it together.”

Granthum said Jalin is believed to be in the Florida area right now. He said Jalin had contact with the department last week, but he has not been heard from since.

“He’s actually called us. He made contact with us by telephone. He wouldn’t disclose his whereabouts or anything,” Granthum said. “He was inquiring about how he could turn himself in. That was this past Friday. He has yet to do so, so we have activated our resources.”

Granthum said the department has sent bullet fragments and video that could be useful to the investigation to forensics.

“There is some video that is being enhanced,” Granthum said. “I don’t know how useful it is going to be right now, but we hope it’s going to be useful. A lot of times forensics can enhance the video.”

Granthum said the department urges anyone else that witnessed the shooting to come forward with information.

“We need the public’s help,” he said. “We know there’s actually more people who witnessed this due to the fact of how many people were out there Christmas night. We just ask that they get the courage like some of the other people have to come forward for this.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department at 334-874-2530.