Abuse victims may be more likely to come forward and ask for help as a result of Tuesday’s deadly shooting at Emcore, an Albuquerque fiber optics company.
Summer Little, Women’s Resource Center program manager, said high profile events like the one at Emcore tend to draw a spike in the number of abuse victims who seek help.
“Events like this can be a trigger for people who have experienced abuse or are experiencing abuse,” she said. “They might feel like they need to reach out for help and we’re certainly here if they do.”
Little said the WRC had an increase in calls after UNM English professor Hector Torres and graduate student Stefania Gray were killed in March after a suspected domestic dispute. The WRC may see a similar increase in domestic violence victims asking for help after Tuesday’s shooting, she said.
On Tuesday, Robert Reza shot six people at Emcore, killing two and hospitalizing four — including his ex-girlfriend, Adrienne Basciano. Basciano is still in critical condition at UNMH, said hospital spokesman Billy Sparks. Reza shot and killed 36-year-old Michele Turner and 47-year-old Sharon Cunningham. He wounded Malissia Mai, Rodney Noble and Dixie Colvin before killing himself.
Nadine Hamby, APD spokeswoman, said Reza’s main motivation for the shootings was to kill Basciano. Reza and Basciano had twin 5-year-old boys who are now being cared for by family, Hamby said.
Reza may have been mentally ill, believing that Emcore had “implanted chips in his brain and could hear his thoughts,” according to a Saturday story in the Albuquerque Journal. Reza worked at Emcore from 2006-09, when he resigned for medical issues, the story said.
Police also found a 40-page journal that Reza kept, although they are not releasing details about what was written, Hamby said.
Hamby said the New Mexico legislature might take another look at “Kendra’s Law,” which was introduced after John Hyde killed five people in Albuquerque during a 2005 shooting spree. Hyde struggled with mental illness, authorities said. Kendra’s Law would make it illegal for people who are a threat to themselves or others to go without treatment. Former Mayor Martin Chavez introduced the law in 2005, but it didn’t pass through district court.
T.J. Wilham, Albuquerque public safety director, said Mayor Berry could announce whether he will re-introduce Kendra’s Law as soon as Monday.
Little said mental illness isn’t usually a factor in domestic violence.
“(Domestic violence) is more an issue with power and control than it is with mental illness,” she said.
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Tuesday’s shooting is a reminder that abuse is still a problem, Little said. She said the WRC deals with “quite a few domestic violence issues.”
“We still have a lot of education and prevention work to do,” she said. “This is a real reminder of that.”
The UNM community is already taking steps to curb domestic violence, Little said. The WRC and other departments wrote a grant for the Violence Against Women Act.
Little said that if UNM receives the grant, the WRC will hire a coordinator to reduce domestic violence, stalking and sexual abuse.
“We really need to move beyond shame and embarrassment around it,” she said. “People don’t ask to be abused — it just happens.”
Little said the reasons people stay in an abusive relationship can be complicated. She said domestic violence often doesn’t stay in just a home setting.
“A lot of people think it’s just private, so when it does happen somewhere public, it’s kind of shocking,” she said.
Little said the WRC is partnering with the English department and other organizations, including GPSA, to host the first Gray-Torres Symposium in September. She said stalking and domestic violence will be addressed.
The WRC doesn’t just help women find resources, as men can call or come in for help also, she said. She said the Center provides referrals to resources like Student Health and Counseling and also has resources for staff and faculty. She said the WRC also deals with crisis intervention, which means that people who are in a crisis situation can call or come into the office.
“Some people find it embarrassing to be in that situation,” she said. “But I would just urge people to reach out in some way — whatever feels right for them.”
*Women’s Resource Center
277-3716
www.unm.edu/~women
*
