Fox 5 Highlights Urgent Need to Prevent Domestic Violence

This week, Fox 5 Atlanta shared heartbreaking stories of two suspected domestic violence-related murders in metro Atlanta that took the lives of young women and left families and communities reeling.

Watch on Fox 5 Atlanta

In Gwinnett County, 21-year-old Elayjah Whitley was shot and killed outside her workplace by a former boyfriend. In Hall County, a Gainesville woman lost her life in what police believe was another murder-suicide witnessed by a nine-year-old child. These tragedies underscore the devastating impact of intimate partner violence and the urgency of prevention.

Our Chief Program Officer, Barbara Gibson, spoke with Fox 5 about the growing need for awareness, resources, and intervention.

“It’s really heartbreaking when people resort to violence and cut life short,” Gibson said. “It’s not just a life that’s lost. The community connection that you had, it’s the relationship you had to your children. It’s the dreams that you had. All of that is lost.”

Barbara also emphasized that this violence is not inevitable:

“This violence is preventable—it’s preventable. And the fact that it continues is just really devastating to recognize.”

Our mission at WRCDV is to ensure that every survivor has access to safety, advocacy, and hope. We want every person experiencing abuse to know:

“You don’t have to figure this out by yourself. There are people who really care about your safety and want to help you get safe.”

If you or someone you know needs help, call our 24-hour crisis line at (404) 688-9436.