Reality TV star and celebrity designer Angela Simmons went viral recently after photos emerged of the star carrying around a gun-shaped purse on the red carpet of the 2024 BET Awards. The fashion choice was especially puzzling considering her former fiance and father of her child, Sutton Tennyson, was fatally shot multiple times outside his home in Atlanta.
Simmons, 36, wore an emerald beaded Casze Atelier gown with the handgun purse as an accessory. At one point, she seemed to hold the purse like an actual gun. The backlash was immediate and Simmons rushed out an apology through Instagram stories.:
“When I chose the purse, I believed it was cute and unique, and I made a poor decision in using it as an accessory to amplify my beauty,” she wrote. “I deeply regret that this item which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive, especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence.”
She said the purse in no way shape or form was meant “to promote gun violence in any way” and that she hopes people will accept her “sincere apology.”
“While this incident was a misstep, I will not allow it to define my moral compass or my commitment to promoting peace and ending gun violence.”
Angela Simmons’ baby’s father Sutton Tennyson was shot 13 times
Around 5 p.m. on Nov. 3 2018, Tennyson got into an argument with a man Michael Williams near the garage of his southwest Atlanta home. Tennyson, 44, was shot 13 times with a .45 caliber gun and left for dead.
Police said Williams fled the scene in his car. Angela shared the news in a since-deleted Instagram post the next day: “Thank you for leaving behind my greatest gift. I’m hurting. I’m numb. Thank you for the outpouring of love, everyone. I can’t believe I’m even saying Rest In Peace, Sutton. I promise to hold SJ down in every way, I promise.”
Less than a week after the shooting, Williams turned himself in, claiming innocence. “We are fighting this case vigorously, all the way to a jury trial,” lawyer Jackie Patterson told PEOPLE, who added that murder trials can take a long time. “It’s gonna be a long process.”
Williams was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, and murder. The ordeal came to an end in April 2020 when Williams was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years for possessing a firearm as a felon.
“Justice served today! We got you! We got him,” Simmons wrote on Instagram after the verdict.
