In what authorities are describing as a “domestic violence situation,” a Louisiana lady was shot many times as she was leaving work on Friday before the assailant turned the gun on himself.
On June 30, at around 8:00 p.m., Ashley Yates, 35, was discovered outside a store in Westport Village in Graymoor-Devondale, according to police.
Lyndon Police Chief Robert Schroeder says, “When we found her, she was being treated by some civilians for her gunshot wounds.”
Ashley’s injuries caused her to pass away at University of Louisville Hospital after being transferred there.
The murder was referred to by Schroeder as a “domestic violence situation.”
Ashley “had every reason to leave the person who did this, and her life was threatened before,” the victim’s brother, Andrew Thompson, told WHAS11, “but she was stuck in a cycle and kept going back to this individual.”
The suspect, according to Thompson, “knew where she was going to be and what time she was going to get off, and he waited for her,” WHAS11 said. He will have to answer to the same God for what he did, and I think she’s in heaven.
Police reported that the unidentified suspect committed suicide on Saturday.
According to a statement from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department that PEOPLE was able to get, “We believe the suspect from the murder of Ashley Yates committed suicide Saturday evening.” “The death of the offender has ended our case.”
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A GoFundMe page has been created to aid with funding Ashley’s funeral expenses.
It was said of her that she had a “beautiful soul” and was “big on her faith.”
The donation website claims, “She was always talking about her walk with Christ.” She even wrote, “Everyday is a gift from God; that’s why we call it the present,” at the top of her Facebook profile. She has shown us how valuable life and time are on our planet. That tomorrow is never certain, and oh, did she make the most of every day. She went out of her way to make others laugh and smile. She was a passionate lover. We will always remember her presence here, and because of our memories of her, we have all learned how to smile despite our sadness. She is now our angel, and we are glad that we will one day be reunited.
Ashley was Thompson’s biggest fan, he told WAVE3.
In many respects, he continued, “That was my best friend. “She would attend my comedy concerts, and we would usually get into trouble together. She had faith in me and was my biggest supporter. She was gorgeous, kind, and nice to everyone, and she inspired everyone.
According to Schroeder, he encourages victims of domestic violence to get assistance.
“From a police perspective, we see a lot of domestic violence situations in the community, and we certainly encourage anybody who is a victim of domestic violence or suspects they may become a victim of domestic violence to reach out to the police or to any of the many agencies that would be glad to give them assistance,” he says. “While that kind of incident was incredibly unusual for this neighborhood and that shopping center, it serves as a reminder that anything may happen anywhere. And rather of resorting to violence, as a species, we must return to appreciating and protecting one another.
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org if you are a victim of domestic abuse. All phone calls are free and private. The hotline is accessible around-the-clock in more than 170 languages.
