Andrew Holmes is an anti-violent activist in Chicago. He has spent years speaking out against shootings happening on his city’s streets. In 2014, Holmes arrived to a shooting to discover his teen nephew had been shot in the chest, along with a classmate. Last year started bright for Holmes, who was honored during a February event where former Mayor Rahm Emanuel labeled the 26th as “Andrew Holmes Day.”
He has become a community staple and a liaison between grieving families and police officers during tragic shootings. His devotion began more than 20 years ago, when he too, became the victim of a shooter.
Sadly, on Saturday morning, more than a year after his nephew was shot, his daughter was shot to death at a Phillips 66 gas station in Indianapolis. The gas station located near the Lafayette Square Mall became the scene of a crime as gunfire erupted in the early morning hours. The shooting occurred approximately around 2 a.m. Holmes’ daughter, Tamara Sword, was struck and killed. A source speaking on the condition of anonymity advised dozens of shell casings were discovered at the scene.
Sword was a mother to five children. The shooting is currently under investigation and police have not released information to indicate if this was a random or targeted shooting.
For more than 20 years Holmes has reached out to various communities to instill peace, and yet today he received world-shattering news. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the victim’s family, friends, and colleagues.