Michelle TalaveraCOLUMBIA, TN (WSMV) -
A young mother was shot in the back of the head and now detectives are looking for the person who pulled the trigger.
"It just happened so fast," said Gregory Polk who manages the Perfect Touch Mobile Detailing shop in Columbia.
Polk was standing just feet away when he said shots rang out on Woodland Avenue.
"After the shots were over with, I heard a loud commotion that somebody was shot. As I looked up the street, which was right here, I saw a young lady laying on the ground," Polk said.
That young lady, police said, is 28-year-old Michelle Grooms Talavera. The mother of four was shot once in the back of the head early Sunday morning.
"I ran towards the young lady and there were a few people holding her and calling 911, and there was a huge crowd around her, so I made sure everyone was pushed back so she could breathe," Polk said.
Investigators said Talavera was inside a bar on Woodland Avenue, but they don't know for sure what led up to the shooting. What they do know is that dozens of people saw it from beginning to end.
"A lot. There were a lot of people on the scene and we know that," said Detective Brian Goats with the Columbia Police Department.
Goats is working the case and said they are getting a lot of valuable leads.
What they need now is the one that will crack the case and bring justice to Talavera and her family.
"The littlest piece of information that you think may mean nothing, let us decide that. It could be the piece that really breaks the case open and gets it where it needs to be," Goats said.
"If there's anybody that knows anything, you have to let somebody know. Let the police know because you have a young lady who just lost her life who has four children and they're with out their mother, so somebody needs to say something," Polk said.
Friends have set up a website to help raise money for Talavera's hospital bills. You can donate at: http://ripmichelle.chipin.com/michelle-grooms-talevera.
If you have information, you can remain anonymous by calling the Maury County Crime Stoppers at (931) 381-4900, or the Columbia Police Department Safe Tip Line at (931) 380-2930.
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