Despite the best efforts of experts, the problem of domestic violence doesn't seem to go away. Two recent high-profile cases highlight how the issue often has tragic implications.
On Wednesday, a Town of Lockport man shot his wife in the face before turning the gun on himself, taking his own life.
Last weekend, a Kansas City Chiefs football player stunned his community when he shot and killed the mother of his three-month-old daughter. He then took his own life.
There is a growing understanding of those who commit violence against an intimate partner, says Susan Green, clinical associate professor of social work at UB and co-director of the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care.
"It's normal for any one of us to want to try to make sense out of what just happened," Green told WBFO News. "So, we try to put it in just some form of logical analysis. And it's possible that we're not be able to do that unless we know the full story really for each of these cases."
Green says children can survive in these cases because they are not the target of the rage of the killer. In
"Often, the child is not the target of the rage. Or, is not the target of what is perceived as needing to be controlled. So, they end up being part of what will often be called collateral damage but not always the prime target," said Green.
The holidays, Green says, can be a risky time for partner violence because there can be more pressure on an individual which that person can't handle