Domestic Abuse Spikes During the Holiday Season
By: Michaela MacDonald
Updated: December 5, 2012
911 tape Operator: They were arguing and he shot her?
Mother (frantic): Yes yes they were arguing.
Jovan Belcher's mother's frantic 911 call reveals the events leading up to Saturday's murder-suicide in Kansas City.
"There had been, what we call red flags, there had been signs of extreme jealousy, isolation, all those things that led up to this," said Reggie Dial of Lubbock Women's Protective Services.
He said Saturday's violence was tragic, but that incidents of domestic violence are not rare, especially around the holidays.
"During this holiday season there's usually a 20-25% increase of women, of families that come to Women's Protective Services," said Dial.
Dial says reasons for the spike include an increase in consumption of drugs and alcohol, and the stress of providing for the holiday.
"We know that a lot of people are struggling financially and so to try to make ends meet there's a lot of stress that goes a long with that," said Dial.
And Dial says he wants everyone to be on the look out for domestic abuse warning signs, and to speak out if they have a friend or family member in a bad situation.
"Look for all the controlling methods, look for the isolation look for the extreme jealousy, look for those types of things and notice those types of things and make the young lady aware that it might not be a healthy relationship for you," he said.
