In the small town of Shannon, Mississippi, a tragic event unfolded on September 19, 2019, forever altering the lives of many. Shaharah Nikita Coggins, a 38-year-old woman, entered Griggs Grocery and Deli seeking help, stating that someone was trying to harm her. Moments later, a man identified as 32-year-old Kantori Sims, entered the store and fatally shot her.
The incident, which took place in a store full of customers, ended when an on-duty Shannon police officer who was also in the store at the time, shot and killed Sims. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called to the scene to investigate the officer-involved shooting, which is standard procedure.
Family and friends of Shaharah Coggins were left to grieve the sudden and violent loss of a woman they described as a loving mother and a good-spirited individual. A vigil was held in her honor in West Point, where the community gathered to remember her and mourn her passing. She was a former employee of Tecumseh and left behind a son and two daughters. The bodies of both Coggins and Sims were sent to the state crime lab in Pearl for autopsies.
