Family, friends mourning after second sister dies from September shooting at East Side bar
The family of two victims of a September shooting at an East Side bar are preparing arrangements for a second funeral, only a short time after a first.
The family of 17-year-old Khaterra Griffin are preparing funeral arrangements again after her sister, Shamira Rhodes, 30, was killed in a shooting late last month at a bar on Livingston Avenue on the East Side, said Tiara Walton, a friend of the two.
Griffin died at an area hospital last week after numerous surgeries failed to win the battle with her gunshot wounds.
“(Griffin) was a kid in the wrong place at the time,” Walton said. “She was young and impressionable, and she liked to be around her sister.”
That's where the 17-year-old was at 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 25 when Columbus police responded to the Queen of Hearts Pub on the 5500 block of East Livingston Avenue on a report of a shooting. Police said the shooting at the after-hours bar occurred as a result of a fight.
Police last week arrested 28-year-old Amara Battle and charged her with the murder of Rhodes. Additional charges are now expected as a result of Griffin's death.
According to court records, Battle was observed on security footage avoiding security as to not be properly checked for weapons before entering the bar.
After she entered the bar, Battle and her friend walked over and began striking Rhodes, catching Rhodes off guard, security footage showed. Rhodes was seen on the ground crawling as Battle pulled on her hair, until Rhodes was shot in the neck.
Homicide detectives say in the court records that "Battle could have fired both gunshots striking both victims."
Rhodes was pronounced dead on the scene by medics around 4:47 a.m. Griffin was transported to an area hospital in critical, life-threatening condition.
Griffin, who family knew as “BB,” experienced damage to her liver and kidney from being shot that required 10 surgeries, Walton said.
“A 17 year old kidney and liver trying to fight a gunshot wound,” Walton said. “Her mother had to see her like that. I haven't even started to process a 17-year-old gunned down.”
Shortly after the family buried Rhodes, Walton said, they were informed of Griffin’s death.
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Walton said that Rhodes, a former Columbus Walnut Ridge High School student, was a professional dancer and a hairstylist who loved to be active.
"Shamira was an entrepreneur; she sold wigs, makeup, eyelashes, clothes, shoes, and ideas. She was a Jack-of-all-Trades and enjoyed living in the fast lane going at a fast pace. She had many skills," her family said in her online obituary.
She was also lucky, her family said, winning often at internet cafes and playing blackjack at casinos.
“Her laugh was very deep; it would come from her belly,” Walton said.
Rhodes had three children, ages 7, 9 and 10. Walton said Rhodes' 10-year-old son is particularly affected by her death, noting that he is regularly checking the news for new information about her.
Walton said she hopes those responsible for Rhodes and Griffin’s death understand the weight of their actions. People need to "grow up," she said, and stop escalating fighting to gun violence.
“I feel cheated. I feel like the young lady who is responsible needs to know how much she has affected everyone," Walton said.
Despite the hardship of losing the two sisters, Walton said the family is maintaining their faith in God as they navigate hardships.
“Regardless how it looks and feels, we trust the Lord through all the trials, and through all the tribulations,” Walton said.
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More:17-year-old girl shot in Short North is fourth teen slain in Columbus in less than a week
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Family mourning loss of sisters killed in September in East Side bar
