Kimberly Kilgore, a 21-year-old Communication student, died Friday after suffering fatal injuries in a road rage shooting off Shiloh Road in the early hours of Oct. 11.
According to Cobb Police, a road rage incident occurred between two vehicles that turned physical inside the Shiloh Green Apartment gates, where Kilgore was shot.
Kilgore was transported to Kennestone Hospital, where she later died after being taken off life support.
Police have arrested 22-year- old Sparkles Lindsey in connection with the shooting. She has been charged with aggravated assault and murder and is currently being held without bond in Cobb County’s Adult Detention Center.
Mark Evans, the pastor of Believers Church in Douglasville, said he has known Kilgore since she was little and was shocked when he heard the news.
“You just have to deal with the tragedy at hand, and you try to make sense of it,” Evans said. “There are some things we can’t understand.”
He said that rather than focusing on the tragedy of the incident, Kilgore’s family is focused on her life and “the seeds that her life planted into the lives of other people.”
“We all joined hands together in Kimmie’s room, and we just prayed that her life would make a difference,” Evans said. “Let’s just believe that this will make a difference for the good in people’s lives.”
Kilgore worked as a server at Collett Country Store in Powder Springs for about three years. The store has been raising money to help cover the cost of the funeral service.
Her boss, Rick Collett, called Kilgore a hard worker and a “fine young lady,” adding that her co-workers are devastated by her death.
He called her death senseless and extremely unnecessary, saying there were no words to describe it.
“You want to get mad and angry and shout and act crazy? That’s one thing, but to go and shoot somebody? That’s ridiculous,” Collett said.
Evans said a viewing will be held Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Clark Funeral Home in Hiram from 4-8 p.m. Kilgore’s funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at West Ridge Church in Cartersville.
A statement released by KSU said campus officials are preparing to provide grief counseling to members of the KSU community who were affiliated with Kilgore.
Friends and classmates of Kilgore are offering their condolences on Twitter using the hashtag #PrayforKim.
