LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky has the second-highest rate of domestic violence in nation.
On Tuesday, the names of Louisvillians who died in the past year from domestic violence were read at a memorial at Jefferson Square Park.
23-year-old Kierrea Stone-Gonzalez grew up in Kentucky and moved to Louisville with her daughter in Sept. 2022.
"She was funny, life of the party, loved family," said Michelle Stone, Kierrea's mother. "She was such a good person. She was very caring."
Today I joined @OFWLouMetro, @thecenteronline, @LMPD and fellow Louisvillians as we gathered to honor those lost to domestic violence. From early learning to affordable housing, we are working together to strengthen families and prevent these tragedies. pic.twitter.com/iCvA4UG3wp
— Mayor Craig Greenberg (@LouisvilleMayor) October 24, 2023
The young woman's bright future was ripped away when she was killed by Jeremy Thompson, according to Louisville Metro Police.
"She was shot in the head, been there for four days," Stone said. "It's emotional."
Stone said the day she found her oldest daughter still haunts her.
"Me finding her is the memory that sticks in my head every day," Stone said. "Her foaming at the mouth stay with me every day."
It's still hard for Kierrea's family to believe she's gone and they'll never be around her bright smile and good heart again.
"She was my best friend for real," said Dalia Gonzales, Kierra's sister.
Kierrea Stone-Gonzalez
"There's not a day we don't think about her," said Eli Irvine, Kierra's cousin.
LMPD said it has received more than 4,200 domestic violence reports this year.
In 2018, domestic violence accounted for 20% of all violent crime in Kentucky. And in the last three years, domestic violence homicides in Louisville have increase, according to Louisville Metro Police statistics:
- 2020: 9
- 2021: 10
- 2022: 18
"Unfortunately, 11 have been victims of a homicide," said LMPD chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel. "Black women make up the largest number of victims."
According to data from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 45% of Kentucky women and 35% of Kentucky men experience intimate partner physical violence and/or rape in their lifetimes. On a typical day in Kentucky, local domestic violence hotlines receive more than 19,000 calls.
City officials, the Center for Women and Families and other community leaders remembered Kierra and the other 10 victims at the ceremony in downtown Louisville on Tuesday.
Kierrea's family will continue to share her story in hopes that it helps other struggling families and changes the outcome for other women.
"I wish he would have been a man and walked away," Stone said. "You don't shoot someone because they hurt your feelings. You walk away."
The Center for Women and Families' emergency hotline is 1-844-237-2331. The 24-hour hotline provides crisis response, emergency shelter, sexual assault services and more.
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