We have a little less than a week left in October. That means you still have time to support Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One Macon family is using that to remember their loved one with a walk this weekend.
It has been two years since La'Smockie Fountain was killed after an apparent domestic dispute. Bibb deputies say she was shot to death by her boyfriend, Derrick Booze, he was charged but died a few days later of an apparent suicide.
"It just felt like something you see on TV not something that someone so close to you would happen to,” explains friend Raven Alston.
Now her family and friends are hoping to get the word out to others by holding their third annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk for La'Smockie.
"She was the life of the party. She always had something funny to say, she was a jokester, and she could dance,” remembers Alston.
But they say they want to let others know that they can do something to save themselves.
"Don't keep quiet about it. There's so many services that could help you. The awareness needs to be known to people so that they can help people that are victims of domestic violence,” says Alston.
Her friends and family agree that domestic violence can have permanent outcomes. Had they known about La'Smockie's domestic violence situation, things could have ended very differently.
"It only takes one time for somebody to hit you, or stab you, or shoot you. You can't reverse those effects. Then when somebody's gone, we all wish we could have done something different. Had I known, maybe she would still be here,’ says Stephanie Whitehead.
Though she is no longer here, they say they will honor her memory.
Sheriff David Davis, Commissioner Al Tillman, and a domestic violence awareness spokeswoman with SafeHouse will be there. The walk starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at Case Street and Mumford Road. The family asks all who attend to wear purple for domestic violence awareness. You can also call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.