MARION, Ark. — A Crittenden County family wants to warn others about the tragedies of domestic violence after a mother and her young son were shot and killed by her husband before he turned the gun on himself.
Nakina Gilmer-Brown and her elementary school aged son Austin Brown were killed by Nakina’s husband Gabriel Brown at their Marion home Tuesday, a family member said.
Sandy Bromley, Executive Director of the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center talked about some of possible red flags for someone experiencing domestic violence.
“When you add firearms to the mix with domestic violence lethality raises five times. So if you have a firearm in your home and you have a history of domestic violence you are five times more at risk of being killed,” she said.
Is your friend or relative isolating themselves? Bromley says it’s important to stay connected to that person as much as possible.
Another sign could be the person loses interest in an activity they once enjoyed or only take part in their partners activities.
It’s important to keep open lines of communication.
“I think a lot of times we tend to quickly judge or maybe even get mad at that person for not coming to the family reunion or not maybe being involved as much as they could be but instead we should do the opposite, we should keep reaching out as much as possible,” Bromley said.
She also says mental health should be prioritized.
“We should start thinking about mental health the same way we think about our cholesterol, you know we should start being more proactive about it,” she said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence, you are encouraged to call YWCA of Memphis and the Mid-South at (901)-766-7677 or The Family Safety Center 24-hour Crisis Line at (901)-800-6064 for additional resources.