Mother of Sheffield shooting victim Lamar Griffiths campaigns for change
Video report by Jon Hill
The mother of a man shot dead at a car wash says she is campaigning to ensure his death was not in vain.
Lamar Griffiths, who was 21, was sitting in a BMW at the Diamond Hand Car Wash on Burngreave Road, Sheffield, when he was killed on 29 March last year.
Mr Griffiths' mother, Monique Bate, has launched Lamar's Legacy – a campaign to give other young men support to "fulfil their potential".
She said: "It's time to inspire the youths and give them the tools that they can move forward."
Ms Bate said she was speaking to her son on the phone 40 minutes before he died.
"He had been telling me how happy he was and what he was going to do for the day," she said. "I spoke to him up until the point he got into his vehicle."
She added: "It's been a soul shift Lemar was my youngest child. Twenty-one is no age but I was blessed with 21 years and I'm really proud to be his mum, because he left a beautiful mark within the family and the community."
She said she wanted to challenge the negative "narrative" around her son's death, saying he was "judged" because of his ethnicity.
"Lemar was not known to the police and had no criminal record," she said. "He was an avid footballer, extremely good at maths, really articulate. He had the most beautiful, magnificent soul and he has left an amazing legacy and energy behind."
Mr Griffiths' death was one of 10 reported shootings in Sheffield in the last year. Last week a 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg in Teynham Road, Shirecliffe.
Ms Bate said: "I'm really saddened by the fact that there have been more shootings. I want to work closely with the police to try to combat that - try to bridge the gap between police officers and the youths."
She is hoping to set up a football team in Lamar's name.
Local boxing coach Ronny Tucker is supporting her campaign. He said: "I think hearing anyone being shot in my home city is worrying.
"I don't want to go around frightening people that Sheffield is a dangerous city - we've got problems we know that - but it's clearly worse than it has been. Prevention is the key because we can't social work our way out of this, we can't police our way out of this, so people have to work with us to enable us to change the mentality of young people."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.