NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — Police are calling the murder of an innocent woman an act of "senseless gun violence" after a shooting Tuesday evening.
Metro Nashville Police Department officials say 55-year-old Shirley Crawley, an innocent bystander, was killed and three teens, ages 18, 15, and 17, were wounded in the shooting Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.
"How do you go heading to the grocery store and you die on your way to the grocery store? Shirley was an aunt, she was a sister, she was a cousin and she was my best friend," said Crawley's cousin Shirley Page.
Shirley Crawley loved her family, her dog and above all things the Lord. And Shirley was loved by many.
"Every day with everything that's going on we always end the conversation I love you, please be safe call me when you make it back to your destination," said Page.
Police say Crawley was driving her white Dodge Challenger on Clarksville Pike when she stopped at a red light.
The driver of the Elantra, an 18-year-old female, stopped in the lane next to Crawley. A line of vehicles began to form behind both cars. A dark-colored car, that appears to have been following the Elantra, also stopped on Clarksville Pike a few vehicles behind the Elantra.
The driver of the dark-colored car then quickly entered the turn lane (which had no traffic) next to the Elantra. At least two gunmen exited the car and began shooting into the Elantra, striking the driver and two of her three passengers. As the Elantra sped forward to get away, the gunmen continued to fire, hitting Crawley multiple times.
"I’m at a loss of words because that was my sister, we’re cousins by blood but that was my sister because my mom raised her from a kid, and we were raised in the same household," Page said.
The family is asking anyone with information to tell police.
"When we say Black Lives Matter, shouldn’t all lives matter? Because she mattered," Page said.
The family says they won't rest until there is justice.
Crawley was a member of the Morning star Baptist Church in Nashville. She no children but she did have a dog name Money her family says she adored. The dog was in the car when Crawley was shot but unharmed.
Page said she's at peace knowing her cousin is in Heaven. The family has created a gofundme account for her memorial.
"She’s resting with him and that is what’s going to get me through, that is what’s going to get us through. We’re people who believe."
TITANS (The Investigative Team Addressing Neighborhood Shootings) Unit detectives are assisting Homicide Unit detectives in this ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information about Shirley Crawley’s murder is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward.
