Tanisha Shelton, 45, is facing attempted murder and arson charges after police say she set a man ablaze following a heated argument in northwest Miami-Dade.
Shelton had been arguing with Nathaniel Devon Mathis, 33, for hours on Saturday before the confrontation took its devastating turn, according to a police report. The dispute appeared to end when Shelton left the scene, but she issued a chilling parting threat. She told Mathis she would return with someone to attack him, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
Hours later, Shelton made good on her promise in the worst possible way. She reappeared carrying a bucket that held a plastic bag filled with accelerant, according to police. She then approached a witness with an unusual request: she asked to borrow a lighter. Once she had it, she doused Mathis in the accelerant and set him on fire, cops said.
Emergency crews rushed to the intersection of Northwest 63rd Street and Northwest 25th Avenue around 6 p.m. They found Mathis unconscious and severely burned, according to authorities. Medical staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital determined he had suffered second- and third-degree burns over 80% of his body. Officials said Mathis remains in critical condition and is not expected to survive.
Shelton’s attempt to flee the scene was cut short by a bystander who pepper sprayed her, police said. Other witnesses provided IDs that helped officers locate and arrest her. The alleged firestarter is now in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to jail records.
The argument that preceded the attack had stretched across hours before Shelton’s initial departure, the police report indicates. Her return with the accelerant transformed a verbal dispute into what authorities are treating as a calculated attempt to kill. The use of a borrowed lighter suggests she arrived prepared to ignite the accelerant but may not have had her own means to do so.
Mathis’s prognosis underscores the brutality of the attack. Burns covering nearly the entirety of a human body represent one of the most traumatic injuries possible, with survival rates dropping precipitously when more than 50% of body surface area is affected. The fact that he survived long enough to reach the hospital in critical condition still leaves him with minimal chance of recovery, medical officials indicated.
Shelton’s attorney information was not available.