HAMPTON, Va. — One Newport News man is keeping his mother's name alive after she was killed by her husband six years ago.
It's a heartbreaking but not unfamiliar story, because of the many victims that suffer in silence.
Tracey Parker said although he was never abused physically, he witnessed domestic violence since he was a child. But his life changed forever when his mother was shot and killed by his stepfather.
"My mother tried, we tried. We had so much more to learn with each other and be there for each other. Her life was just cut short," said Tracey Parker, a domestic violence advocate.
Parker stood beside his mother Rosalee's grave at Hampton Memorial Gardens.
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"She was never fearful, she was loving, although she had a hard life. But just to know that her life ended that way is just still really hard," said Parker.
It was the evening of May 11, 2017, when Parker's life changed in an instant. He says he still remembers the call he got from his siblings telling him to rush to their mother's home.
"He killed her while she was asleep," said Parker.
The gunman was her husband, who was also Parker's stepfather. He says his stepfather pulled the trigger the day before his mom got the keys to her apartment trying to escape the years of abuse. She was 61 years old.
A nonprofit called H.E.R. Shelter, also known as Help and Emergency Response, assists survivors and victims of domestic violence. Advocates say they're seeing an increase in calls for people who need help.
"In an average year, we take over 1,500 domestic violence hotline calls, and that's just for the city of Portsmouth and Chesapeake," said Olivia Smithberger, the executive director at H.E.R Shelter.
Smithberger added that usually, people who call the nonprofit are between the ages of 18 and 35. However, she said domestic violence does not discriminate and can impact people at any age.
The nonprofit spends more than $10,000 a year on hotel stays for victims.
Parker still regrets not getting his mom the help she needed, which has led him to turn his pain into power. He's started his own nonprofit called "The Friendship Lottery."
"I started The Friendship Lottery in remembrance of my mom, just because I witnessed how many lives that she actually changed," Parker added. "[The nonprofit puts you] in contact with counselors. We try and provide you with resources, and get you to resources that we can."
With survival and hope in mind, Parker is aiming to inspire others. With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Parker and H.E.R. Shelter are working to advocate for domestic violence victims - not only this month, but every day of the year.
