TEXAS, USA — As North Texas continues to deal with multiple domestic violence situations in recent weeks, it aligns with a trend that is plaguing all of Texas in the past few years.
The Lewisville Police Department recently said a woman and a man died in a shooting that happened at an apartment in Lewisville.
This comes during the same week that the Fort Worth Police Department said it terminated one of its officers after investigating an off-duty domestic violence incident from June of 2022.
In Texas, there have been 985 family violence-related deaths in 2020 and 2021, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. In the previous four years from 2016-2019, there was less than that (951).
Earlier in October, the city of Dallas launched a new domestic violence dashboard in an effort to increase community awareness and real-time reporting from the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and local shelters.
In March of 2020, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson asked the city's domestic violence task force to make recommendations that would help reduce family violence aggravated assaults by 25% over the next three years.
Darlene Greene is the executive director for the Ina Mae Greene Foundation-For My Sisters, which is based out of DeSoto.
Greene started the non-profit organization in 2005, 15 years after her younger sister was killed in a domestic violence situation with her husband on her 30th birthday.
"Resources are so scarce, and it's costing the lives of women," Greene said. "This happens every day. It's a sad commentary on the state of our country and our community."
Greene said her organization's client list has grown a lot lately and that she gets calls from women "all day long" who are in bad situations.
When women find themselves in situations where they have a violent partner, Greene said it's important for these people to be proactive in getting away from the abuser.
"You need to get out of his line of fire," Greene said. "That is very, very important. If she can just disappear. We just need her to be unavailable. Don't go to the places you used to go to together. Don't call his friends. Don't call his family. Don't let them call you. You're running for your life."