Tia Keith was a well-known face around town, loved for her creative talent and vibrant spirit. As a skilled local braider and loctician, she spent her days helping people in the community look and feel their best. On the evening of July 16, she made a routine stop at a small convenience store right outside of Oakwood, Georgia. It was supposed to be a quick, ordinary errand on a warm summer night.
She pulled up to the Subhanallah Food Mart on Mountain View Road, parked her SUV, and stepped inside to make a quick purchase. Everything seemed completely quiet and normal in the neighborhood shop. But outside in the dark parking lot, danger was already waiting for her. Her former live-in boyfriend secretly slipped into the passenger seat of her parked vehicle while she was inside paying.
When Tia walked back out and sat down in her SUV, she was instantly caught in a terrifying trap. The man pulled out a gun and opened fire, shooting her multiple times right there in the front seat. Despite the sudden horror and pain, Tia fought back with everything she had. She managed to break free from the vehicle and ran toward the store for her life.
Desperate for shelter, Tia ran straight back through the front doors of the small grocery store. But her attacker didn’t stop at the car. He jumped out and chased her right into the building, firing his gun repeatedly as she ran down the aisles. The sudden noise of gunfire shattered the quiet evening inside the neighborhood shop.
A store clerk inside scrambled for safety behind the counter and frantically called 911. Tragically, help could not arrive in time to save her. Tia collapsed on the store floor and passed away right there on the scene from her injuries. A bright light in the local community was extinguished in a matter of seconds.
News of her death sent shockwaves through family, friends, and long-time clients who knew her warm smile and gifted hands. People across the area still cannot wrap their heads around such a senseless act of violence against a woman who brought so much care and energy to those around her.
Now, local officers along with federal agents are pouring every resource into finding the man responsible for taking Tia’s life. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service are tracking down every lead across the region. Law enforcement vows that justice for Tia will be served as the hunt for her killer continues.
