Nobody Cares About Domestic Violence Until It Impacts Those Outside of the Home
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It’s time to stop overlooking domestic violence and start taking it seriously
*Content Warning: mentions of domestic violence, abuse and murder*
On Sunday, November 21, 2021, Darrell E. Brooks, Jr. drove his SUV into a holiday parade in Wisconsin. He killed 6 people, including an 8-year-old child, and injured many more.
Brooks was out on bail after he assaulted and ran over the mother of his child. His bail was set at only $1,000 and 5 days later, he ran into the parade.
According to The Washington Post, Brooks had “allegations of battery, domestic abuse, recklessly endangering others and drug violations. He was also convicted of a sex crime in Nevada after impregnating a minor, officials say.”
Maybe now after murdering six people he will be held accountable for his crimes, but by now, it’s too late.
In February of 2018 in a suburban Ohio town two police officers were shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call.
The perpetrator, Quentin Smith, who has since been convicted of his crimes and sentenced to life in prison without parole, had “punched and choked his wife, leading to her making a 9–1–1 hang up call.”
According to CBS “Officers were sent to the residence on domestic violence calls four times over the past five months [before the shooting], most recently in January.”
Smith also had an “extensive criminal history involving burglary, intimidation, aggravated menacing, domestic violence, and felonious assault.”
Smith had threatened to kill his wife and their daughter on multiple occasions.
He was also prohibited from possessing a gun, but that didn’t stop him.
On the day of the murders, Smith assaulted his estranged wife, Candace, after finding a book in her car with her male co-worker's name written in it. She called 9–1–1 after he attacked her. When the police arrived, she ran outside to safety, but her infant daughter remained inside the house with Smith.
Candace and her daughter escaped, but both responding officers were shot and killed by Smith.
