GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A restaurant in Rockford is holding a fundraiser to support the family of an employee who was killed in December.
Mya Kelly, 23, worked at the Corner Bar in Rockford during the pandemic, and her father, nicknamed "Toe Joe", is a longtime employee.
Kelly was shot and killed inside a home on Canton Street SW in Grand Rapids around 10 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2022.
Probable cause documents filed in the case say the suspect fired multiple shots through the front door, killing Kelly as her two small children were in the living room.
The bar's general manager, John Vanaman, said Kelly's father called him the night she was killed. Vanaman knew they needed to help.
"Right away, I talked to Jeff and Sarah, the owners here, and we all said, we've got to figure out something to do," Vanaman said. "What can we do in a practical sense to help?"
After the shooting, the bar held a fundraiser to help pay for the funeral. Now, the focus is on helping Kelly's two young children.
Their ultimate goal is to make sure her children have a safe house to grow up in. On March 29, the bar is going to host a fundraiser for Kelly's kids.
"I think we can we can go a long way to securing good housing for them," said Vanaman. "I think that we can do the things that Maya would want in her absence."
Vanaman said through fundraisers and raffles, the Corner Bar has already raised about $12,000 for Kelly's family.
You can get the latest information on the fundraisers on the Corner Bar's Facebook page.
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