In wake of Oak Forest murder-suicide, domestic violence prevention advocates say there are always options for help
OAK FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- Days after a mother and her two adult children were gunned down in southwest suburban Oak Forest, the community there came together for a vigil Monday night — and the emphasis was recognizing the signs of domestic violence.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey has been digging into the red flags in the case.
The vigil was held at the Oak Forest City Hall, Oak Forest City Hall, 15440 Central Ave., on Monday night. The organizer said the focus is firstly to honor the victims who lost their lives – Lupe Gomez, 43; Emilio Rodriguez, 20; and Briana Rodriguez, 22.
Lupe Gomez was the Emilio and Briana Rodriguez's mother. Their father, Jorge Rodriguez, broke down as he spoke before the vigil.
"I'm broken. I miss them," he said. "They knew I was going to be here. Thank you for being here with my kids."
The focus was secondly to let residents, and the broader public, know that no matter how "bad" a relationship gets, there are options for help.
"When you're getting ready to leave, you know, your abuser, that's like the most dangerous time. That's when a lot of victims get killed," said vigil organizer Gabriela Mendoza. "So it's like, my goal is just to spread awareness; resources."
Lupe Gomez was a mother of four. Her brother told CBS 2 her relationship with the suspected gunman – 44-year-old Carlos Gomez Jr. - was "bad" and "she was trying to leave."
"There is help. There's resources. It's out there, and I'm going to make sure that these south suburbs; that Oak Forest has these resources, you know, to assist anyone who may be in a similar situation," Mendoza said at the vigil.
Police said on Friday morning, Gomez Jr. shot and killed Lupe and Briana and Emilio Rodriguez outside a home at 5550 Ann Marie Ln. in Oak Forest.
The two younger children, a 15-year-old girl and 13-year-old girl, survived. One escaped before the shooting and the other was pulled out of the home later.
Police said Gomez barricaded himself in the house and set it on fire. He was found dead inside the house after the first was put out.
There was a long history of domestic violence and orders of protections between Lupe and Carlos.
On Dec. 5, 2016, Oak Forest police were called to the same home, according to Cook County court records. Gomez was arrested and charged with "domestic battery" and "criminal damage to property."
An order of protection was granted for Lupe Gomez, but it was vacated just nine days later on Dec. 14, 2016. The domestic violence charges were dropped.
Since then, court records show back-and-forth allegations of violence. As recently as Sept. 9, Lupe Gomez was charged with domestic battery for spraying mace in Carlos' face. That case was still pending when she was killed.
Amanda Pyron with The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence said it is well-documented that there were many attempts made to get support from the legal system and beyond — and it just simply wasn't enough.
We'll have to wait for a records request to get all of the specifics — but Pyron also hopes this will be a learning experience in this community and beyond.
"Over time. I hope we get those answers. I hope we understand what could have been done better to protect these victims," Pyron said. "But this is the nature of domestic violence — for a person who's using a piece of behavior; It's controlling a survivor — to increase as a survivor tries to leave."
We do have a records request in to try to get more specific details about the legal battle that led up to this horrific tragedy.