WRENS, Ga. — A 19-year-old was shot and killed as she slept at her home over the weekend in middle Georgia.
WJBF reports that Khia Shields was asleep at her home in Jefferson County when she was shot around 1 a.m. Saturday.
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Her mother, Shereka Pitts, told WJBF that she walked into her room with a gunshot wound to her chest.
“I’m up, looking… she’s looking at me, I’m looking at her,” Pitts said. “She had her hands held out like, ‘Mommy, Mommy, I’m shot.’”
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Shields was rushed to the hospital, where she died.
The teen, who was a beloved employee of the Walmart in Grovetown, Ga., had just celebrated her birthday last week. Family members said she planned to be an educator. She had just started her sophomore year at Georgia Southern.
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The Walmart set up a memorial to honor Shields at the store.
Pitts told WJBF that her mission now is to stop gun violence in her daughter’s name.
“Just put the guns down,” Pitts said. “I’m going to keep her name alive. I’m gonna keep speaking on her until we can come up with a solution to stop gun violence.”
Shields is one of more than 90 Georgia teens and children who have been shot to death this year.
It’s unclear who fired the gunshots or if Shields was the target. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is one of the agencies looking into the case. Investigators told WJBF that gang activity has ticked up recently in the area.
The GBI is asking anyone with information to contact the Wrens Police Department at (706)-547-3232 or the GBI Thomson Office at (706)-595-2575. You can also text the Wrens Crimeline at (706)-872-6755.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.
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