'I cry every day. I’m so hurt.' Mother on horror of losing daughters to Columbus shooting.
Note from the editor: 17-year-old Kha'Terra "BeBe" Griffin died less than a month after she and her 30-year-old sister Shamira Rhodes, 30, were shot at Queen of Hearts Pub on East Livingston Avenue Sept. 25, 2022, after what police say was a physical attack on Rhodes.
Rhodes, a mother of three, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her little sister died after numerous surgeries. Amara Battle has pled not guilty to murder charges.
Griffin and Rhodes' mother, Nichole Rhodes, wrote this column about the impact her daughters' deaths and suffering have had. She is a member of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children.
My life changed forever on Sept. 25, 2022.
That morning I woke up to a phone call saying my youngest daughter, Kha’Terra, was shot. Her two friends were at my back door. They explained that BeBe had been shot and said they believed she was taken to Grant Hospital.
'I love you and I will always love you': Columbus mom to son killed in gun battle
I ran back to my room to throw on some clothes. I immediately started to FaceTime my other daughter, Shamira, to find out where she was. I didn’t get an answer after trying to reach her a few times.
As I was leaving, I wondered why Bebe’s friends were still at the back door.
They said we were trying to tell you Shamira was shot as well. At that moment, I was in total shock.
How could this have happened and why?
I rushed to Grant Hospital to check on Bebe. And I sent my friend to the location where I was told this happened to see what was going on.
I was a wreck!
After being taken to a room with a doctor, detectives, a chaplain, and a social worker, I was told my youngest daughter Kha’Terra was critical and needed multiple surgeries. It was just heartbreaking.
Then the detective asked me if I could identify or describe my oldest daughter, Shamira.
I gave them a description and he looked at me and said, "I’m sorry to inform you but she passed."
At that moment, I was numb.
I’ve never in my life felt so broken, helpless and weak.
The only thing that went through my mind was why, and how could someone do this?
I had to explain to Shamira’s kids outside of Grant that their mother was taken from us.
I saw the hurt and pain in their faces as we cried and hugged each other.
At that moment, I just stayed at the hospital praying Kha’Terra would pull through.
I started making funeral arrangements for Shamira all while her sister went through surgery after surgery. I can say that I had a good support system to help me along the way.
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We laid Shamira to rest on Oct. 8, 2022, at the age of 30, and then back to the hospital where Kha’Terra would have a few more surgeries.
Things were starting to look better for her. They began taking her off certain medications and removed her from the dialysis machine.
There were even talks of moving her to another floor from ICU.
I could see a change for the better.
She even was able to FaceTime her two best friends. They laughed and smiled! She waved at them.
It was so beautiful.
I left the hospital that night feeling so good while her dad stayed there, leaving around 5 a.m.
The hospital called us after 6 a.m. that morning saying we needed to get there.
When I arrived, Kha’Terra was lying flat.
The whole time she was there, she was elevated. I knew something was wrong!
A couple of days later, we were informed there was nothing else they could do.
My daughter's organs were shutting down.
On Oct. 15, 2022 — her father’s birthday — we made the decision to take Kha’Terra off life support.
Our daughter had already suffered enough.
Kha’Terra was laid to rest on Oct. 28, 2022. She was just 17.
Losing two girls to gun violence had a major impact on our family.
One daughter left behind children, the other didn’t even get a chance to live her life.
Sometimes I feel like the world is moving and I’m standing still!
I cry every day. I’m so hurt.
I can honestly say reaching out to Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children has been a great experience for me.
I’m able to be around other mothers who share my pain.
From this group, I’ve found myself giving back to the community and a therapist for me and my family which is very helpful.
I’m able to turn this pain into purpose.
Without MOMCC, I would be lost. I’m able to share my story in hopes that it can help someone else.
I’m planning to do a toy drive in my girls' honor to keep their Legacy alive.
If I could say one thing to the youth, it would be, to think before you react.
Don’t let a moment of anger ruin your life and the life of someone else. Grow up and go on to be something in life. You don’t want your mother to have to share a story like this
Please put the guns down.
Nichole Rhodes' daughters, Kha'Terra "BeBe" Griffin, 17, and 30-year-old Shamira Rhodes, were shot at Queen of Hearts Pub on East Livingston Avenue on Sept. 25, 2022. Both died as a result.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus mom's daughters were shot in bar fight. She wants to spar others
