Mother of Young Woman Killed at Tennessee Waffle House Accepts Her College Diploma

The mother of a young woman senselessly gunned down at a Tennessee Waffle House in April accepted her daughter’s posthumous college diploma this weekend.

Shirl Baker, the mother of 21-year-old DeEbony Groves, walked across the stage Saturday evening to receive her daughter’s degree in social work from Belmont University.

“Almost two weeks ago, our community suffered an unimaginable loss,” Belmont University President Robert Fisher said, according to News Channel 5. “While our hearts were broken, today we have the chance to celebrate DeEbony’s life together.”

The New York Daily News reports that Baker’s son, Di’Angelo Groves, also received his diploma and also shed tears after the school announced that a social work scholarship was established in his sister’s name.

Travis Reinking has been charged with four counts of murder in the April 22 mass shooting in which an unarmed black man, James Shaw Jr., is being called a hero for disarming the gunman.