KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. This reporting follows her month long in-depth domestic violence awareness series. Share your story idea with Megan.
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The tragic shooting death of Good Samaritan Tony Barron by off-duty Whiteman Air Force Base Airman Glyzula Ingram Wednesday morning highlights a growing domestic violence crisis affecting communities across Missouri.
Police say Barron was shot and killed after attempting to intervene in a domestic disturbance in the 700 block of Cedar Drive around 7:20 a.m. The Ingram died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a nearby wooded area.
The incident has shocked the Warrensburg community, but for local domestic violence advocates, it reflects a troubling trend they've been witnessing.
Across Henry and Johnson counties in Missouri, there is one domestic violence shelter serving more than 80,000 people. Survival House in Warrensburg reports that domestic violence hotline calls and shelter nights have skyrocketed.
"We are deemed as a safe college community, but we know there's no area that is safe from domestic violence," said Alisa White from Survival House.
Community members are struggling to process the tragedy.
"It's so sad, so so so sad. With that happening, it makes you so nervous now. I've lived here three to four years, and we've never had anything like this before," Warrensburg resident Sarah Pickett said.
"He was just trying to help and got killed," Picket said. "It breaks my heart."
While the community grapples with shock, White says there's no time to be surprised by the violence. She explains that too many people are relying on their services.
"Warrensburg is a safe, amazing town that we love dearly, but it doesn't really surprise us, no," White said.
Survival House, which has been operating since 1982, provides therapy, court advocacy, 24/7 help and shelter services. The organization is experiencing unprecedented demand across all services.
Last year, their therapist handled 82 clients.
"That is an extreme load for a therapist," White said.
The increases extend beyond therapy services. The number of women and children who needed help this year rose by more than 100 people. There were 500 more hotline calls this year and 600 more shelter nights on the books.
Most concerning is the increase in high-risk cases.
"Cases we are concerned for the victims' lives," White said.
White attributes the surge to widespread stress affecting the community.
"As a whole, things are in a crisis mode in general for people," White said.
Despite the overwhelming demand, White wants people to know help is available.
Survival House faces its own challenges, struggling with funding losses totaling about $30,000 this year in federal funding cuts.
"We have a desperate need to enlarge our shelter," White said. "We are a smaller community and struggle with funding."
The organization is attempting to purchase a larger shelter house to meet the growing demand for services.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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