Isanti corrections nurse dies after "senseless act of domestic violence." Advocates share the warning signs
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minnesota community is mourning the loss of a woman, to what authorities called a "senseless act of domestic violence."
According to the Isanti County Sheriff's Office, Sarah Carda was killed Friday at a home in Fish Lake Township.
SWAT was brought in after reports of gunfire, with one man was arrested at the scene.
WCCO has since learned Carda was a corrections nurse in Isanti County for the past nine years.
A statement from the sheriff's office puts the pain of her loss into perspective, writing, "Words cannot fully describe the shock and pain our agency and community are feeling. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with Sarah's family and friends."
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The sheriff's office went on to say that this "tragic event is a reminder for all of us," in regard to the impact of domestic violence.
"It was a nurse, a nurse tied to corrections, and I think that just shows domestic violence does not discriminate. It can happen to anybody," said Amirthini Keefe, Executive Director of the Domestic Abuse Project.
The Domestic Abuse Project provides services like therapy for victims and families.
According to Keefe, the following are domestic violence warning signs:
- A partner who isolates you, not letting you engage with friends or family.
- Puts you down, especially in front of other people.
- Makes your choices for you.
- Makes you feel unsafe.
According to Keefe, that can mean never touching or hurting you, but making you feel threatened, just by the way they talk to you.
If there's any question about what qualifies as domestic abuse, Keefe said you can always call a domestic violence organization and ask.
"If you're a family member, friend or a person that's struggling, you can call and say, 'Hey this is what's going on in my relationship, I don't know whether this is domestic violence'," said Keefe.
"When I see this in the headlines, I get very angry. I'm mad that this keeps happening, that women keep dying," said Jacob Hustedt, Director of Development and Communications at Women's Advocates.
In 1974, Women's Advocates became the first domestic violence shelter in the country.
Change is needed culture-wide to stop domestic violence, Hustedt said.
"We need to start teaching young men and boys to have healthy relationships, what healthy relationships look like, and how to have good boundaries in those relationships, because people violating those boundaries are really what ends in deadly violence against women," he said.
According to the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. For men, it's 1 in 4.
Local Domestic Violence Resources
Women's Advocates
wadvocates.org
Crisis Line: (651) 227-8284
St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
stpaulintervention.org
Crisis Line: (651) 645-2824
Minnesota Day One
dayoneservices.org
Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111
Esperanza United
esperanzaunited.org
Bilingual crisis line: (651) 772-1611.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.