Mother Describes 15-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shot in Birmingham Apartment as ‘A Very Rare Child’

Cornelia Rose Lathan had a bright future ahead of her, filled with dreams and aspirations. The 15-year-old, a rising sophomore at a charter school in Bessemer, aimed to become a nurse, a pilot, and possibly serve in the military. However, those dreams were tragically cut short two weeks ago when her mother’s ex-boyfriend opened fire on their Birmingham apartment, killing Cornelia and injuring her 5-year-old brother, Roman.

“It’s tough,’’ said Cornelia’s grieving mother, Rebekah Lathan. “She was a very rare child.”

Otis Lee Montgomery, 27, has been charged with capital murder in Cornelia’s death, first-degree assault for wounding Roman and shooting into an occupied dwelling.

The deadly incident occurred midday on Wednesday, June 19, at Park Place apartments. Cornelia and Roman were home because the summer program at Memorial Park—where Cornelia was a counselor and Roman a camper—was closed for the Juneteenth holiday.

Rebekah Lathan, a Minor High School graduate with a political science degree from UAB, works remotely from home as a case manager for a Boston-based personal injury law firm. Her home office was set up in her bedroom, allowing her children free reign in the rest of the home. Her 12-year-old son, Daniel, was visiting his father in Georgia at the time of the shooting.

Lathan recounted that she and Montgomery, with whom she is expecting a daughter, had argued the night before and again on the morning of the shooting.

“He had come by one time that morning making threats,’’ she said. Montgomery left before the police arrived.

“I was at my desk working, and he called me. We were arguing, and the next thing you know, I heard glass shatter.”

She left her room and entered the den area, joined by Cornelia and Roman. Montgomery, in the parking lot outside the apartment, fired multiple shots.

Cornelia was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:25 p.m. Roman was taken to Children’s of Alabama with a gunshot wound to his femur. He cannot walk for at least the next six months and is using a wheelchair.

“We were all standing there together,’’ Lathan said. “I can’t believe I wasn’t hit.”

She still struggles to process the events. “I know he gets angry,” she said, “but I never would have thought it would escalate to this. You hear about it happening, but to be in it is a completely different rodeo.”

Cornelia, Lathan’s first-born, had just completed ninth grade at Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, where she was an Honor Roll student. “She was a really sweet spirit,’’ Lathan said, “an all-around sweet girl.”

Cornelia was also volunteering as a counselor at Memorial Park. “Even the people at Memorial Park were shocked. They were like, ‘This girl was an angel. Nobody volunteers to come and work with other kids,’’’ Lathan said. “She was serving her community.”

The teen was a deep-thinker with a strong faith. At the time of her death, she was reading “Understanding Your Place in God’s Kingdom” by Myles Munroe. Less than a year ago, she and her brother had chosen to be baptized together at New Bethlehem Baptist Church in Bessemer. “She gave her life to Christ,’’ Lathan said.

Just before her untimely death, Cornelia was doing a 21-day fast to focus on her goals. “We were working toward putting things in place—how to structure mini-goals to meet the big goal,’’ Lathan said. “One of her biggest goals was for her to become self-sufficient by the age of 22. I told her it was very much doable.”

Cornelia was extremely close to both her brothers. “They were inseparable,’’ Lathan said. She was also eagerly anticipating the birth of her baby sister, even choosing her name. “The day before we had gone shopping for the baby because she was expectant of having a little sister,’’ Lathan said. “She wasn’t going to be the only girl anymore.”

Lathan said it’s been a painful couple of weeks. “That was my baby,’’ she said. “We were inseparable.”

Roman has struggled in the aftermath. “He and I will both need some trauma counseling,’’ Lathan said. “He was standing right there. He saw the whole thing.” Despite his trauma, she describes him as a very intelligent 5-year-old.

Lathan has not returned to her apartment since the shooting. She has found overwhelming support from her family, church, and friends.