When her mother was battling cancer, Adina Parson cut her long hair short as a show of support. At her church, she's the go-to woman who will get the job done, her friends say.
But two days after turning 40, attorney Parson's life almost came to a horrific end. She was shot eight times, including three times in the head, and left to die in the breezeway of her apartment complex.
Three days later, Parson remained in critical but stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital, a close friend told the AJC Monday.
While her family and friends are hopeful for a complete recovery, they can't help but wonder who would a harm a woman known for her gentle spirit. And Sandy Springs police say so far, there are few clues to go on.
“Adina is very loving person so we’re all baffled," Lisa Baker, Parson's friend, said by telephone from Grady. "It just doesn’t fit. We’re just dumbfounded."
Baker said Parson had just left her apartment and was heading to pick up her husband when she was shot around 11:45 p.m. Friday. Police have interviewed Parson's husband, but he is not a suspect.
Monday afternoon, investigators had no information on a possible motive or suspect, Capt. Steve Rose with the Sandy Springs Police Department said. Parson's shooting doesn't appear to be related to a shooting just over a week ago in the same complex, Rose said.
It was not known whether Parson's work was related to the shooting.
Baker said Parson is passionate about her work as an attorney for the state Department of Public Health, which combines her legal skills with a love of children. Prior to her current job, Parson spent more than a decade as a lawyer for the state Division of Family and Children Services.
Beyond work, Parson is heavily involved with her church, Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta. Some in the congregation were shocked to learn during Sunday services that Parson was the victim of a violent crime, church leaders said.
"I'm still trying to get my mind around who would do this to Adina," Annette Black, a church volunteer, said Monday afternoon.
Black and Lisa Childers, executive assistant to the church pastor, said Parson is always willing to help others and spent countless hours volunteering.
"She's just a jewel," Childers said.
Sunday night, friends and relatives held a vigil at the Residences of Morgan Falls complex off Roswell Road, where Parson has lived several years with her husband. Another vigil is planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the church's Smyrna campus on Spring Road.
Until then, those who know Parson best are hopeful investigators will quickly find the person responsible, her friends said.
“She’s an attorney," Baker said, "but she's our sister, she’s our friend.”
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Sandy Springs police at 770-551-6900.
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