Kia Tidwell, Portage, Indiana mother of six shot dead by stray bullet as Gary Police plead with witnesses to come forward and victim’s family demands justice as no suspects are identified or arrests made.
Indiana authorities have urged witnesses to step forward following the shooting death of a mother of six, who was shot and killed by a stray bullet while driving near a Gary, McDonald’s, Friday night.
Kia Tidwell, 42, of Portage, IN, was driving eastbound on 5th Avenue, on her way home when she was struck by crossfire according to Gary Police Commander Jack Hamady.
The mom of six — who was also a grandmother — was talking on the phone to eldest daughter Islynn Tidwell when the bullet struck her in the head while driving home to neighboring Portage.
‘I just heard people shooting, and she cried, ‘Oh, Jesus!” the woman’s daughter told ABC Chicago.
‘And that’s when I heard her car skirt off, and she crashed into the tree right there, and the phone call ended.’
Officers initially responded to a disturbance call at the McDonald’s on Grant Street and 5th Avenue but found the people involved had already left, FOX32 reported.
While on the scene, officers heard a commotion near Lincoln Street and approached a large group of people. Shots erupted from behind an apartment building. Police said Tidwell was struck by the gunfire causing her to crash her car into a tree. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The suspects fled on foot and remain at large.
Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon called on the ‘multiple’ witnesses to come forward and ‘respond to this senseless, terrible act.’
‘We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of Ms. Kia Tidwell,’ the Gary Mayor’s Office said in a statement. ‘This senseless act of violence has taken a mother away from her six children.’
‘Enough is enough,’ the mayor added.
The investigation is ongoing, with the Lake County Prosecutors Homicide Task Force, Lake County CSI, and Coroner’s Office all on the scene.
The victim’s family have since demanded justice and action to make the community safer.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Indiana State Police Detective Roger Escutia directly at 219-755-3855 or send an email to [email protected]. There is also an anonymous Text-a-Tip line at (219) 207-TIPS (8477).
