A tragic incident occurred in Indiana when a stray bullet struck Kia Tidwell, 42, in the head while she was driving home with her six children. Her eldest daughter heard her final cry of “Oh Jesus!” during a phone call as the shooting happened. Tidwell was driving past a McDonald's in Gary late Friday, where police were responding to a disturbance, according to ABC Chicago.
The mom of six — who is also a grandma — was talking on the phone to eldest daughter Islynn Tidwell when the bullet struck her in the head as she drove to her home in neighboring Portage.
“I just heard people shooting, and she cried, ‘Oh, Jesus!'” the grieving daughter recalled.
“And that’s when I heard her car skirt off, and she crashed into the tree right there, and the phone call ended.”
Kia Tidwell, 42, was tragically killed by a stray bullet while driving home on Friday. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and the suspects, who fled on foot, remain at large. Tidwell was a mother of six, with her youngest child being just 4 years old, and she was also a grandmother to a 2-year-old girl, according to her family.
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Tidwell was on her way back to Portage from Gary, a city she had previously lived in and still held dear, her family shared.
Tidwell family
Tidwell was a mother of six and a grandmother to one.
“She didn’t live here anymore, but she defended Gary tooth and nail,” her sister, Isley Tidwell, told the outlet.
“In the end, for her to be taken out by all the people she advocated for, it’s sad.”
Tidwell’s mother, Charlotte Tidwell, vowed to keep talking about the horrific shooting until she finds justice.
“We going to take it further. We’re going to take it as far as we can. It don’t stop here. We can’t allow it to stop here,” the grieving mom said.
Isley
Isley, Kia Tidwell’s sister, said her sister would defend the city of Gary before her death.
A GoFundMe to help Tidwell’s family says she worked two jobs to support her large family.
“She was no stranger to her children’s schools helping and volunteering with sports. Everyone knew her, the loudest mom at the boys’ games. The one usually cooking for the team, traveling from one game to the next no matter how far she had to drive she was committed to seeing them to the next level,” the fundraiser said.
“She always put forth 100% effort helping others, mentoring others giving when she didn’t have to give,” the fundraiser added. “Kia Tidwell was confident, fearless, self-less, fabulous, loved life and adored her family.”
Tidwell
Tidwell’s family are calling for justice in her death.
Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon called on the “multiple” witnesses to come forward and “respond to this senseless, terrible act.”
“Enough is enough,” said Mayor Eddie Melton.
“This is a call to action for the community to step forth to figure out what can we do collectively as a community so we can prevent this from happening again,” Melton said. “We stand right with them, with stand by them. This is not just their loss. It’s the city of Gary’s loss.”
