A Missouri mother tragically died in front of her children when she was caught in the crossfire of two feuding groups at a gas station Tuesday evening, according to her family and police.
Shakeela Martin, a “devoted mother to five children,” was buying slushies with her kids when she was killed at a BP in Ferguson on June 28, according to an online fundraiser organized by relatives.
The 35-year-old mother was buying the frozen drinks to celebrate moving into their new home the very next day.
“What should have been a joyful family moment became an unimaginable tragedy,” Martin’s cousin, Whittley Anderson wrote on the fundraiser.
“Shakeela was a devoted mother to five beautiful children who were at the center of her world. She was full of love, strength, and hope for the future.”
An unidentified female friend who was at the gas station with Martin and her kids said several men pulled up to the BP and started shooting at another group of men before speeding away, local outlet 5 On Your Side reported.
The friend recalled hearing at least 10 gunshots ring out before noticing Martin had been hit by the gunfire.
Martin was shot in the head and heartbreakingly died in front of her children.
Police say another innocent bystander, a male customer, was also shot in the crossfire and is in critical condition, the outlet reported.
“It was just senseless. It’s so surreal,” Anderson told the outlet.
“How can a woman go to the store, get slushies for her kids and end up dying,” the grief-stricken relative said.
“These kids now have to live with this until they’re old and it will never go away. It will never leave our family.”
Martin’s 8-year-old niece told the outlet that her aunt “was pretty” and “kind” who gave her “lots of treats.”
“I cried because I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye and I didn’t know that she was gonna die,” the young girl said.
Martin leaves behind her five children, aged 3, 4, 9, 11 and 15.
“She was just a sweet mom, a sweet daughter and a wonderful sister,” Anderson painstakingly said.
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