by Lateef Mungin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nearly 25 percent of Gwinnett’s homicides this year stemmed from domestic violence situations, county authorities said.
In 2001, three of the 16 homicides were attributed to domestic violence, according to Gwinnett County police statistics. As of Friday, four of the 14 homicides were linked to domestic violence. One of the many people who are disturbed by these cases is Pat King, who coordinates the Family Intervention Response and Support Team, or FIRST.
“Violence in the home whether it leads to homicide or suicide has taken a huge toll.” said King. “We need to take a proactive approach to get these numbers to go down.”
King says there are probably more than four domestic violence deaths this year because Gwinnett County police statistics do not include homicides investigated by the Lawrenceville Police Department. Statistics from Lawrenceville were not available on Friday.
The situation in the county may be worse, King said, if officials factor in the role domestic violence played in the number of suicides investigated by the county medical examiner’s office. According to the medical examiner’s office, domestic violence was a contributing factor in 40 percent of this year’s 43 suicides, she said.
King’s program, which is housed in the Gwinnett County police station, sends volunteers on weekend ride-alongs with police to provide immediate crisis intervention for domestic violence victims. The program, which began in July, has helped more than 150 victims find shelters, counselors and other services, she said.
“If it is three in the morning and the police are on a domestic violence call, they can give the victim some information such as how to get a protective order,” said King. “But we are there to see if the victim needs other services such as medical care and counseling.”
In one of the fatal Gwinnett cases, Gabriela Salas, 24, of Norcross was fatally shot in February by her husband, who then killed himself.
In June, Stone Mountain resident Tobey Robinson was killed by her ex-husband, who then fatally shot himself. In July, Neidy Cifuentes, 29, was arrested when police found her newborn baby dead in a toilet in her Norcross home. One month later, Lillian Bruscato, 66, of Lilburn was stabbed to death by her son.
King’s program is holding a training for those that want to become volunteers Tuesday through Thursday. For more information, call 770-495-3900 Ext. 3910.