Who shot Ally? Police in the US hunt killer of ‘kind, thoughtful, considerate’ nurse

ALLY Brueger was doing what she loved when she was killed. But who wanted this quiet nurse dead? And was the killer laying in wait for her?

Who shot Ally Brueger and left her for dead on the side of the road?

ALLY Brueger had a routine. She liked to run 16km a day, down a dirt road called Fish Lake. Last Saturday was her final time. She had her headphones in and may not even have heard her killer approach.

The 31-year-old’s body was found along the leafy road, bleeding in the grass in front of a home on Saturday. Police in the town of Rose, in the US state of Michigan are stumped.

Who could have wanted Ms Brueger dead? She was a nurse, an aspiring writer, supposedly loved by everyone, without an enemy in the world.

The trouble for investigators, is that it is often the way it appears.

The first sign anything was wrong came in a panicked 911 call from a resident. He heard the shots and went running to see what was going on.

In transcripts of the calls released by The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, the man said he was “down by the pound” and “I heard bullets”.

He found Ms Brueger laying in his front yard and knew instantly she’d been shot more than once.

The dispatcher then said: “Is the person who shot her ... are they still there?”

“She’s face down and bleeding all over the place,” the caller said.

Alexandra “Ally” Brueger.

Thais Peck, a family friend, told a Detroit website she saw her most days, always running the same route, headphones on, focused on the run.

“She just minded her own business. She had her blinders on, and she would run every day, never missing a day,” Ms Peck said.

Police are now piecing together what happened that day. Ms Peck said the “heartbreaking” murder had come out of nowhere.

“This is just so random, I can’t believe it.”

No on deserved to be killed like that, she said. “To be attacked from behind...It’s shocking.”

Violent in Rose County is rare, with Ms Brueger’s murder being the first homicide in 20 years.

TRIBUTES

Ms Brueger was a nurse at a local hospital. In her spare time she was working on a master’s degree in creative writing. She was an only child, and according to friends, was “best friends” with her mum.

“Such a close, close-knit family. She and her mum were best friends. I mean, like best friends who did everything together,” the friend said.

Her parents Franz and Nicolette, who said Ally lived with them, released a statement paying tribute to their “beloved”.

“Ally was our beloved, only child. She was kind, thoughtful, considerate...Her wish would have been to have all of her organs donated, but because of the senseless way she perished that was not possible...We know that her life mattered to the people that she touched.”

Mrs Brueger said her daughter was witty, but had another side to her. “She was also a very serious-minded individual.”

Police have made no arrests over the shooting murder of Ally Brueger.

Mr Brueger was adamant Ally would have hated the attention her death had brought.

“Our sweet daughter was taken away from us in the most violent way. She was shot four times in back while she taking her daily 10 mile run on a dirt road in Rose Township. She was very humble, and would have been quite embarrassed by all of the attention this has caused.”

Sameera Buzo, a friend and former colleague wrote on Facebook: “I’ll never understand who would want to take her life. You will be missed by many, Alex. ‘I hope that now you will be able to run free, without any worries or fears.”

Another friend, Michael Graski, posted a picture of her with this message.

“She was the sweetest person you could ever meet. Always smiling and happy. You will be missed by so many.”

MOTIVES

Ally’s killer is still on the loose and Michigan State Police say they are searching for a white or light-coloured four-door sedan that was seen near the scene on Fish Lake Road around the time of the shooting.

But it is far from certain whether the mystery vehicle is linked with the shooting.

Police found tyre tracks on the road but are yet to determine if the car is involved or if the killer ran off into the windows — suggesting they haven't ruled out the shooter was waiting for her.

Or it could be something completely random.

“I think it would be irresponsible to say that it couldn’t be random because it’s a possibility, but I think from what we’ve found on scene and some of our gut instincts, and past incidents, she knew who her attacker was,” Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw told Fox 2.

Friends, past relationships and relatives would be questioned, he said.

“We’ve been able to conduct some evidence on the scene that is kind of pointing us in a direction but naturally we are talking to a lot of her family members, her friends and the neighbors out here to see if we can narrow down somebody that might have been having some kind of difficulties with,” Lt Shaw said, reported ABC 7.

Friends and family say Ally Brueger was sweet and humble.

As with many high profile murder cases he warned there was a lot of misinformation being spread.

“Detectives are continuing to evaluate evidence and conduct interviews of family members, friends and discover a motive of the crime,” First Lt. Michael Shaw said in a statement.

“Please be aware there is a lot of inaccurate information and rumours floating around the area.”

That’s cold comfort for many locals, who are now rethinking their own movements.

“I mean, I always have my eyes peeled just because we are in the woods, but yeah, definitely locking them tonight,” Ashley Roos, who lived near the murder scene, said.

“I see the local runners all the time, so — even my grandparents next door are runners, so we definitely gotta take caution.”