Ruth “Mama” Lewis, was sitting in her wheelchair in the living room on Sunday when a bullet came through the window.
An 89-Year-Old Ohio grandmother and matriarch of a family spanning five generations, who was affectionately known as “Mama,” was fatally shot while she was at a relative's home planning her son’s funeral, according to a report.
Ruth “Mama” Lewis, was sitting in her wheelchair in the living room on Sunday when a bullet came through the window. Lewis was struck at least once in the back and pronounced dead a short time later, the Associated Press reported.
Family members said it was unclear why the shots were fired that struck the house, the Tribune Chronicle reported.
However, Warren police detective Michael Altiere told People that approximately six shots were fired into the home and said the house may have been targeted.
"We have identified people that could have information," Altiere said. "We are hoping for a quick turnaround. It is going to take some cooperation from the community."
Witnesses said they heard five to 10 shots, and saw two vehicles driving erratically not far from the home, the AP reported.
Lewis, who was remembered as a "very strong woman," was a mother of eight, and grandmother to around 150 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, her family said. A beloved figure in the community, Lewis was active in the church and an activist. At one time, she had owned a barbecue restaurant in the community called R&R BBQ with her late husband, and a beauty shop called The Magic Mirror. She also worked at Packard Electric and worked in construction, relatives told the Tribune Chronicle.
One of Lewis's daughters told the Chronicle that her mother "wasn't done with her life."
"I just feel cheated. Someone cheated my mom out of the rest of her life. It wasn't her time because when it is your time, you lay down and you go of natural causes," she said. "Not from someone taking your life."
One of her granddaughters said that her grandmother “motivated all of us.”
“She showed us that we can be something; as black people,” she told the Chronicle. “She taught us to never give up and don’t allow people to stereotype us."
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