Lamar Griffiths: Sheffield man shot dead on way to visit grandma

Lamar Griffiths, aged 21, is believed to have been killed by a bullet which was not meant for him.

After his shocking death, his heartbroken mum, Monique Bate, revealed that he had been on his way to visit his grandma when a gun was fired at a car his was inside at the time.

She said her son had been walking to his grandma’s, spotted a friend’s car at the Diamond Hand Car Wash on Burngreave Road, Burngreave, and he went over to see his pal and got inside his blue BMW.

Minutes later – on March 29, 2022 – he was shot dead. Nobody has yet been charged in connection with the killing.

Lamar had no criminal record or was not even ‘known to the police,’ his shattered mum revealed. He was, his mother says, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“That bullet was never meant for him,” she said. “The shooter was aiming at that car, but he was just in the passenger seat.”

Monique was on the phone to her son half an hour before the shooting. He chatted about what a nice day it was and where he was walking to.

When he passed the car wash, he saw a friend he knew from school and got into his car. A single bullet hit him in his chest.

Monique is determined for Lamar not to have died in vain and has launched a campaign to try to combat gang violence and bridge the gap in male mental health provision in Sheffield.

“Six weeks after I buried him I decided I wanted Lamar to have a legacy,” Monique said in the wake of her son’s death. “I want to turn his pain into power and his power into purpose.

“Lamar was a fighter. He was so family orientated. He was the light and soul of the family.

“He needs a legacy because his light was so bright. He left such a beautiful energy. I'm so blessed he was my son.

“He was a reader, he loved maths, he loved football - but one thing he was passionate about was he wanted to get kids off the streets.”

Lamar's Legacy is a non-profit organisation with a mission statement to bridge the gap in male mental health provision and to prevent young men falling into gangs.

Within five years, Monique wants to see a 24 hour helpline or online resource set up to offer young men anonymous counselling on demand.

Other goals for Lamar's Legacy are a school programme to instill emotional stability in young men and teach them to open up about their mental health.

@LamarsLegacy_Forever21 is on Instagram and GoFundMe page has been set up.

Anyone with information about Lamar’s death should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 5551111.