Bradenton man shot and killed girlfriend on her birthday after argument, police say
Amanda Clare Shoaf’s obituary described her as “a firm believer that anything was possible” and that “with the right determination and mindset, dreams could be achieved.” Her dream was to open her own hotel.
As an assistant general manager for the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Sarasota, friends say she was quickly advancing her career and was well on her way to achieving this goal.
But she would never get the chance to see it through. Her dreams were cut short on her 27th birthday when her boyfriend, Nicholas Shermer, allegedly shot and killed her following an argument in the apartment they shared, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
The couple had been arguing about whether Shermer would attend Shoaf’s birthday dinner after her grandmother said she did not want him there, detectives said.
On Sunday, Aug. 27, Shermer called 911 and said he had shot his girlfriend, police said. Around 5 p.m., they found Shoaf dead inside a bedroom in the couple’s apartment at the 4000 block of Carlton Inlet Drive in the Carlton Arms apartment complex.
In the 911 call, police say Shermer, also 27, told them he shot his girlfriend following an argument and that he did not believe it and that he had blacked out. When police dispatchers asked Shermer again what happened, he replied “her grandmother,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
He then said he was going to hang up and call his mother, the report said.
Police said Shermer told them he destroyed his cellphone shortly after making the call.
Fatal birthday dinner argument
Shermer allegedly insisted on coming to the dinner despite the grandmother’s objections, but Shoaf told him she did not want people arguing at her birthday dinner, the affidavit said. Detectives said that an argument then broke out about Shoaf’s family and her grandmother, with Shermer saying that the grandmother was the root of all their issues.
The affidavit said that Shoaf told Shermer she was upset she had to choose between him and her family.
Shermer told police that during the argument, Shoaf blocked the bedroom doorway and he grabbed a gun from the dresser behind him. At a later point, police say Shermer told them he went to the nightstand at the side of his bed to grab his gun.
Shermer owned a Glock 26, Smith & Wesson MP40, Ruger SR40C, a SCCY 9 mm and a Phoenix Arms 22 caliber handgun, but told detectives he could not recall which gun he grabbed. He also said he was uncertain how many times he fired the gun at Shoaf.
She fell and he lay down next to her, saying he felt bad.
Shermer said about 10 minutes passed after he shot her before he called 911, opting to call his grandmother first, the report said.
The report also said he told police the shooting was not in self-defense. When asked if anybody else was responsible for what happened to Shoaf besides himself, he told them no, according to the affidavit, and wrote an apology to Shoaf’s grandfather.
Once detectives arrived, they say Shermer walked out of the apartment and was taken into custody without incident. They found Shoaf dead in the couple’s bedroom.
Police say Shermer told them he and Shoaf had gotten into arguments in the past but he wouldn’t comment on whether they had ever gotten physical.
Ron Busbee, an investigator from the Manatee County Medical Examiner’s Office, did a preliminary examination on Shoaf and found that three rounds had entered her throat at a downward trajectory, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Busbee said one of the three bullets was trapped in her right shoulder while the other two were trapped in the center of her shoulder blades.
‘Big heart and a kind soul’
Shoaf grew up in Indiana, where she graduated from Whiteland High School with academic honors in 2015 and was a member of the Business Professionals of America and show choir, according to her obituary.
She graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing before moving to Florida to pursue her dream of entering the hospitality industry.
She was described as having a good sense of humor and being fun to be around.
“Amanda had a big heart and a kind soul and was always looking out for her family and friends,” her obituary says.
Family and friends posted similar comments on Facebook in an outpouring of love and mourning shortly after her death.
Cassandra Baldridge, who went to high school with Shoaf, told the Bradenton Herald in a Facebook message Wednesday that Shoaf was a positive person everybody loved to be around.
“She was such a kind soul and just brought such a positive light to the room, her smile lit up an entire room,” Baldridge wrote.
Katie Dailey expressed similar sentiments in a Facebook post on Aug. 29.
“This hits close to home. Amanda Shoaf went to my high school, she had the brightest smile that lit up a room. Although we weren’t close I knew she had a good heart. She didn’t deserve this, to anyone in an abusive relationship it’s never worth it. The pain, fear, and danger is not worth it. Leave now and protect yourself. My heart is broken for her friends and family, keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayer,” Dailey wrote.
She also wrote that help is available and shared the National Domestic Violence Hotline number, 800-799-7233.
Her obituary says Shoaf was close with her mother and brother and spent a lot of her free time with them, whether that was going to movie, playing games or making memories at Disney World. Shoaf loved all things Disney, especially The Little Mermaid, which was her favorite movie.
Her obituary quoted Ariel from the movie: “Who says that my dreams have to stay just dreams?”
Funeral services were held for Shoaf in Bradenton on Sept. 2. In lieu of flowers, Shoaf’s family asked people to consider making a donation to a domestic abuse organization of their choice.
Shermer has since been charged with second-degree murder and is being held at the Manatee County Jail without bond.
This story was originally published September 13, 2023 at 9:26 AM.
