Charlotte Tidwell spoke softly, clutching a tissue as she recounted her daughter’s final moments.
“My daughter turned that corner on Grant Street and made a left to head to Portage so she could go home and cook. She didn’t make it back,” she whispered.
Tidwell was surrounded by family members and friends who gathered at the Gary Police Department not only to mourn but to remember and seek justice for Kia Tidwell — daughter, sister, and mother of six — whose life was tragically cut short Friday night.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, city officials, including Mayor Eddie Melton and Police Chief Derrick Cannon, called on the public for help in finding those responsible for the horrific shooting that claimed Kia’s life in the city’s Horace Mann neighborhood.
“No words can ease the pain right now. I want them to know that we stand with them. We stand right by them. This is not just their loss. This is the entire city of Gary’s loss. This is not just a call to address the violence of Friday night, but a call to action for us to be vigilant, to care for one another,” Melton said.
Gary police received a call at approximately 8 p.m. Friday about a disturbance at the McDonald’s located at Fifth Avenue and Grant Street in the Horace Mann neighborhood, less than a mile from City Hall and the Gary Police Station. At the time of the officer’s arrival, the remnants of the disturbance had spread across the street to Fifth Avenue.
As officers questioned people on the scene, shots rang out, forcing officers and bystanders to take cover.
Kia Tidwell, 42, was on the phone with her daughter as she traveled east on Fifth Avenue and encountered gunfire. Her daughter then called her grandmother, Charlotte, to relay what had happened.
In the wake of the gunshots, police discovered a vehicle originally traveling east on Fifth Avenue had veered off the road into a tree. First responders, including officers on the scene, responding to the accident found Kia, who had suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
“When I saw her truck, I went up and opened it and one of the officer’s said it was a crime scene. I’m thinking an accident can’t be a crime scene,” Charlotte Tidwell said.
According to Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon, multiple agencies have been involved in the investigation, spending hours canvassing, collecting evidence, and reviewing footage.
“We have been intentional, and we are here to ask the public to join in our efforts. There were multiple people there that witnessed this incident, and we are asking the public to respond to the senseless and terrible act,” Cannon said.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter echoed the call for community members to come forward.
“We cannot tolerate individuals committing crimes of this nature and somebody don’t speak up. We know for a fact that several people know who did the shooting and we’re asking them to come forward, work with us, work with our investigators, so we can bring some sense of justice,” Carter said.
“We don’t want that in our community,” Carter said. “Speaking as an African American, we’re God-fearing people. We love one another. But these last couple generations want to harm one another. We cannot do that.”
Asked why this particular incident garnered so much official response, Mayor Melton replied that he’s simply seen enough.
“We’ve been in office nine months now, and the incidents that have occurred just within our nine months — just enough is enough. This is a call to action for the community to step forward and figuring out what’s going to collectively as a community so we can prevent this,” Melton said.
Several family members spoke passionately about Kia, her love for her children, and their shared love of Gary.
Kia’s aunt, LaSonnye McNeil recounted Kia’s commitment to her kids’ extracurricular activities.
“She wasn’t just a mother. She was an awesome mother. She went to every basketball game, every baseball game, practices,” McNeil said.
Kia’s sister, Isley Tidwell-Muro, expressed love for the community response.
“I do love the outpouring of support that we received from the city, from our friends, from our clergymen and things like that. Because honestly, the beauty of Gary is brotherhood and sisterhood and our history,” she said.
Her message went beyond the death of her sister as she spoke to the violence plaguing the Gary community and others.
“But I think this is bigger than Kia. This is bigger than Kia. She just had a family that was relentless and not letting it go. But think about all the other families that this is happening to — not just in Gary, because this seems to be the story of our communities. And so for any young person watching this, I just want to say, don’t make a decision today that will take away the rest of your life.”
“I’m sad that it was my sister, but if this is what it takes to turn this around, so be it.”
Anyone with information regarding Friday’s shooting is urged to contact Detective Roger Escutia at (219) 755-3855 or rescutia@isp.in.gov. To submit a tip anonymously, a text may be sent to the anonymous tip line at (219) 207-8477.
Donations to the family of Kia Tidwell can be made through the GoFundMe campaign started by her sister LaSonnye McNeil.
