HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Tia Keith moved to Hall County after high school with a dream of owning her own salon, determined to build a life she could be proud of.
But on July 17, her ex-boyfriend shot and killed her at a convenience store, police say.
Her final moments of life were caught on surveillance video.
Tia Keith’s family honored her life Friday night.
“She already had a plan. She wanted to excel in life and make our family proud … and she has. She has always made us proud,” said Charlotte Sosebee, Keith’s first cousin.
She built a successful career as a hairstylist, earning loyal clients who became like family.
Her father says she was and always will be the center of his world.
“She was a daddy’s girl. I just loved her to death. She was the light of my life,” Victor Keith said.
The community is still trying to process what happened on July 17 when investigators say Tia Keith was shot by her ex boyfriend outside of a local convenience store and continued to shoot as she ran inside.
“It hurt the city of Gainesville, period … and all her loved ones,” said Tracy Mize, a family friend.
Surveillance footage shows her trying to get away and the clerk ducking behind the counter as he calls 911.
“It’s such a loss,” Victor Keith said.
As Channel 2 Action News reported, Antwane Sintell Thurmond was arrested a week later at a motel and charged with malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.
He’s currently in the Hall County Jail.
Friends and family filled the Wimberly Funeral Home to remember a woman they say poured her heart into every person she met.
“Very glamorous, sweet-hearted, smart,” Sosebee said.
Tia Keith’s funeral is at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John Baptist Church.
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