A woman attending a viewing with her grandchildren at a Georgia funeral home was fatally shot in a “senseless” drive-by shooting while standing outside, according to her family.
Ina Chambers and another woman were struck by sudden gunfire at the Gus Thornhill Funeral home in East Point on Friday, January 9, her loved ones told WAGA-TV.
Chambers, 55, was remembered by her brother, Efrem Jenkins as a “vibrant” and “very biblical” woman, who he described as “the best” while speaking with the TV station.
An investigation into the shooting is underway.
Police said in a January 9 news release that Chambers had just dropped her granddaughter off at the viewing, which was for another family member, when multiple shots were fired while she was “standing near the entrance of the funeral home.”
Chambers was declared dead at the property by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to police.
Another woman was treated for “minor non-life-threatening” injuries, police said.
Detectives are looking for multiple suspects allegedly involved in the shooting, as well as their vehicles, according to police.
“I would like to express our deepest sympathy for the families who experienced this tragedy,” East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan said in a statement.
“It’s an outrage that cowardly individuals chose to commit such senseless acts of violence while four families attending viewings were at their most vulnerable,” Buchanan added.
While grieving Chambers, her loved ones let go of balloons at the family’s DeKalb County home on Sunday, January 11, Atlanta News First reported.
The family demands justice for Chambers.
Jenkins, reacting to how no arrests have been made in her death, said “At this point, it’s hard for us to wrap our mind around any of that,” according to Atlanta News first.
“It’s just a couple of days in, and you don’t want anger, but we need justice and we want justice,” Jenkins said.
“If you’re out there doing senseless things like this, just know the world goes in a circle and it does come back around, you just never know how,” he added. “So please stop, please stop.”
Chambers’ husband, Phil Chambers, who was married to her for eight years, told WAGA-TV that he doesn’t “know what to do.”
“I just lost my wife,” he said.
As part of the investigation, detectives are watching local surveillance footage, WAGA-TV reported. They are also trying to determine if a separate drive-by shooting that happened near the funeral home on January 9 is related to the shooting that killed Ina.
Sherry Thornhill, the co-owner of the Gus Thornhill Funeral home, expressed her support and grief for Ina’s family while speaking with WSB-TV.
She also shared a message to the suspects potentially involved in the shooting, according to the TV station, saying: “We are looking for you, and I believe in the city of East Point Police Department that they will hunt you down.”
In a statement, Buchanan said “Our team will not rest until justice is served.”
East Point Police asks anyone who might have information relevant to the investigation to call the department at 404-761-2170.
