If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
A beloved Texas teacher was killed saving her friend from an abusive relationship, according to police, and the alleged gunman is still on the loose.
Dmitri Humphrey, 28, allegedly shot Shantavia Reddick, 26, and her dog to death when Reddick stepped in to protect her friend during an ongoing domestic violence situation Saturday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Reddick went to her friend's house as tensions escalated when her friend tried to leave an abusive relationship with Humphrey, police said.
"Reddick saved her friend’s life, giving her own," Gonzalez said in a Facebook post.
After the fatal shooting, Humphrey, who is also wanted on an unrelated felony warrant, fled the scene in a white Jeep with the Texas plate TFN-4278 and has been on the run since, Gonzalez said.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call the Crime Stoppers of Houston Tip Line at 713-222-TIPS (8477), report online at crime-stoppers.org or use the app called Crime Stoppers Houston.
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Meanwhile, Reddick's loss ripped a hole in the Spring Independent School District in Houston, where she has been a third-grade teacher since 2020, as well as the community, her family and her friends who grieve for the beloved woman.
She graduated from Prairie View A&M University in 2020 and was recognized as the rookie teacher of the year in the 2021-2022 school year.
"Spring ISD is deeply saddened about the passing of one of our 3rd-grade teachers, Ms. Shantavia Reddick," the school district said in a statement.
"Ms. Reddick, who had been with Spring ISD since 2020, was a beloved team member at Smith Elementary School. This is a deep loss for not only Spring ISD but to public education as a whole. Our hearts are with her family at this very difficult time."
The United Nations referred to the drastic spike in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic as the "Shadow Pandemic," which has not leveled off since then, according to stats from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
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The American Journal of Emergency Medicine said that domestic violence cases increased by 25% to 33% globally from 2020 to 2021 – the first year of the pandemic.
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"We are still experiencing a really high contact volume at the National Domestic Violence Hotline," NCADV CEO Katie Ray-Jones told Fox News Digital in a June interview. "About a 25% increase in contact volume.
"Many companies are still doing at-home work or hybrid work and so many employees are still working at home with their abusive partner."
