JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman was sentenced Thursday to 21 years in prison in the New Year’s Day 2018 killing of a mother who was shot dead outside a Riverside gas station.
Tairrah McGriff, 24, was convicted by a jury last month of one count of manslaughter and another count of carrying a concealed weapon in the shooting death of 24-year-old Sahara Barkley.
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McGriff received 21 years in prison for manslaughter, which will overlap with a five-year sentence for the second count, followed by five years’ probation and two years of house arrest.
Witnesses said the shooting stemmed from a dispute between Barkley and McGriff at the BP gas station on Stockston Street shortly before 10:30 p.m. Jan. 1, 2018, according to court records.
Barkley had parked at the business and gone inside to buy cigarettes that night when a man with McGriff got into Barkley’s car and drove away. Surveillance video reviewed by police showed Barkley confront and punch McGriff, who responded by pulling out a gun. Barkley fled the store, but she was shot while running away.
Barkley died at the scene. She is survived by her mother and son.
McGriff was identified through a photo spread and arrested four days after the shooting. She filed a motion for a new trial following her conviction, but a judge denied that petition.