TULSA, Okla. — On Friday, Broken Arrow PD said a man was shot and killed by police after getting into a fight at his home and then threatening officers with a machete.
On Sunday, officers in Coweta said they responded to a murder-suicide.
And on Monday, Tulsa Police said they arrested a man for threatening his partner and their one-year-old child with a knife.
Tracey Lyall is the CEO of Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS). She said they were devastated to hear about all the incidents following the Thanksgiving holiday. She wanted survivors to know it’s important to ask for help.
“It’s heartbreaking for us to continue to hear about people’s lives being lost at the hand of violence,” Lyall said.
Lyall said they generally see an uptick in domestic violence incidents in January, right after the holidays.
“After the holidays is when things go back to normal, routines go back to normal, stresses become more exacerbated particularly around financial stress,” Lyall said. “So we see people in need in January more often than we do around the holiday time.”
But it’s vital to get help as soon as possible. And Lyall said they walk survivors through it all. They get them immediate help, shelter, counseling and create a plan to safely leave their situation.
She said the most common reason someone may not seek help include minimizing the abuse they’re facing, the fear of telling their story and the fear of leaving.
Lyall said it’s important to get help not just for the survivors, but also their children. Anyone can call their advocates any time to learn more or talk to someone who’s been in their shows.
To learn more about DVIS resources, click here.
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