On a quiet Thursday evening in southeast Columbus, a stretch of neighborhood sidewalk turned into a memorial as family and friends gathered to honor 34-year-old Shalimar Green and her 11-year-old daughter, Aliv'eyah Chandler. The vigil doubled as a birthday remembrance for Shalimar and a show of solidarity for her two surviving sons, relatives said. Standing before candles and balloons, family matriarch Janet Chandler told those assembled, “This is not the end of their story,” promising that their names would not fade from memory.
Stuffed animals, birthday balloons, and chalk tributes slowly covered the front yard while family members used the moment to push for hard conversations about domestic violence and mental health, which they say loomed over the family. “Domestic violence, listen, we hear it,” Shalimar’s mother told the crowd, urging anyone in danger to reach out for help. As reported by ABC6, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233 and can also be reached by texting START or BEGIN to 88788.
Police Say Husband Is Charged
According to Columbus police, officers were dispatched to the home last Wednesday for a welfare check requested by concerned relatives. A family member entered the residence and discovered Shalimar and Aliv'eyah dead inside, authorities said. The Columbus Division of Police later identified 35-year-old Derrick Green as a suspect and charged him with murder, according to CBS News.
Investigators say both victims had been shot and stabbed. Detectives reported finding spent shell casings, a bloody knife, and blood-soaked clothing inside the house. A probable-cause affidavit reviewed by The Columbus Dispatch states that family members told police Shalimar had been trying to end the marriage and that the night before the killings, she had found the suspect sleeping on the couch with a knife.
Family Presses For Conversation About Domestic Violence
At the vigil, relatives described Shalimar as “the life of everybody,” the kind of person who lit up family gatherings and neighborhood hangouts alike. They said their grief is now fused with a mission: to spark more open talk about intimate-partner violence in the Black community and to push for stronger support systems for survivors and for children left behind. “We’re going to make sure Aliv'eyah and her mother are always remembered,” her mother told the crowd, as family members called for better resources and long-term care for the kids. The scene was reported by ABC6.
Court records show Green was scheduled for arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court as investigators continue to build their case. He had previously been the subject of a 2021 murder investigation and a 2023 domestic-violence grand-jury review that did not lead to an indictment, according to reporting by The Columbus Dispatch. Prosecutors have not publicly discussed a possible motive.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477, per CBS News. In the meantime, the family has set up memorials and held a candlelight vigil outside the home as the investigation moves forward. For survivors seeking help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233, or you can text START or BEGIN to 88788.
