Indianapolis

Daughter of Chicago Activist Andrew Holmes Mourned at Funeral

Tamara Sword, a mother of five, was shot to death at an Indianapolis gas station last month

Family and friends of Tamara Sword, the daughter of Chicago anti-violence activist Andrew Holmes who was shot to death in Indianapolis last month, gathered Saturday to mourn her loss at an emotional funeral service at St. Sabina Church.

Sword, a 32-year-old single mother of five, was shot to death at a Phillips 66 gas station near Lafayette Square mall on Aug. 22 when she was out with her friends.

Another man, identified as Joshua Riggins, was also killed in the gunfire.

Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Father Michael Pfleger were among those who gave eulogies at the crowded service.

"It makes no sense that Tamara was taken from us," Kelly said. "It makes no sense that her five children must now grow up without their mother." 

Sword was the victim of a random shooting and was most likely not an intended target, police said.

"God didn't have a hand in this. Evil had a hand in this, madness had a hand in this, violence had a hand in this," Pfleger said during the service.

In her obituary, Sword was praised as a "good mother, who loved her children very much, worked very hard and had hope for her children's futures." Sword was a manager at a local KFC restaurant in Indianapolis and an active member of her church.

No one is in custody for the shooting that killed Sword. There is a $16,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to a memorial account to help pay for the funeral and to benefit the five children Sword left behind. Contributions can be made directly to an account controlled by Holmes called "Tamara Sword Memorial Account." The Chase Bank account number is 3007993032.

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