INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis family is mourning the loss of a loved one after police say she was killed Christmas morning.
“She was a fighter — she was a quick learner — she was a quick grasper,” Devin Dozier, Shania Shaw’s brother, said.
Police say that 24-year-old Shaw was shot and killed near North Arlington Avenue and East 56th Street on Indy's northeast side Monday morning. Dozier spoke to WRTV on Tuesday.
“He could have brought my baby back, he could have told me to pick her up at 3 o’clock in the morning, I would have been there. He didn’t have to do that,” Dozier said.
Police say they arrested a 24-year-old man in the case. Online jail records show that he is facing a murder charge. Shaw’s family says she was a victim of domestic violence.
“You know what red flags that I’m talking about. Leave that, stop trying to see the potential and the good that you see in yourself in these grown men because your kids need you, your families need you and I’m telling you, there is no love worth that,” Dozier said.
Domestic violence advocates are warning of a possible uptick in violence around the holidays.
“On average domestic violence increases about 20% during the holidays,” Laura Berry, the Executive Director of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said.
Berry says the uptick could be tied to families getting together or financial stress.
“If you’re in a domestic violence situation, a safety plan is always critical. What do you do? If violence is going to escalate, do you have a plan for you and your children,” Berry said.
For Shaw’s family, they know they can’t replace the love that she brought into their lives.
“Protect yourself at all costs, because your kids going to need you, your children are the most important thing that you will leave behind,” Dozier concluded.
Advocates urge anyone facing a potential domestic violence incident to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
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