A mother of three who police say was murdered by her ex-boyfriend and the father of two of her children had a protective order against him, News4 Bureau Chief Julie Carey reports.
Christina Fisher was killed just 11 days after she won a protective order against her ex-boyfriend, Darrick Lee Lewis.
Lewis is accused of shooting Fisher multiple times at her home in Leesburg, Virginia on Saturday night. Her 15-year-old child called police. Fisher was air-lifted to the hospital, but died soon after.
A permanent protective order barred Lewis from any face-to-face contact with Fisher or the children, Carey reports.
Fisher described multiple attacks in the order's documents, saying, "Darrick has shoved me and choked me to the point I could not breath...He also slashed my seats in my car and cut all of my tires...He punched and stomped me in the face."
Fisher also got a temporary protective order last May that states, "I told him I was going to call 911. He said I wouldn't live if I do."
Police said Lewis violated the permanent protective order and carried out those previous threats.
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Friends and family gathered at Brandon Park in Leesburg Monday evening to honor Fisher's life and questioned why the protective order didn't work.
"She just was so sweet, so caring..she was a great mom. She did everything she could for her kids," said Shanke Owens, Fisher's friend.
"With having a protective order, how is he able to get to her?" Fisher's friend Gia Coates said.
Owens and Coates said they helped organize the vigil to bring awareness about domestic violence.
"There is help in the community. There may not be a lot of awareness about it. That's why we are doing part of this. Go for help before it's too late," Owens said.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
For free counseling and therapy, visit probonocounseling.org. And for My Sister's Place, which offers shelter in a safe house, click here or call 202-749-8000.
