'I Feel For All Of Them' Former Girlfriend of Rajaee Black Speaks About Shooting Rampage
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Rajaee Black's former girlfriend does not want her identity publicly known. She remains shaken after hearing about his alleged rampage and has not been able to bring herself to watch the Facebook Live video where Black appears to confess to killing his ex-girlfriend Tara Labang.
He recorded the video seconds before he gunned down his ex-wife Wendy Black at her home in Columbia on Saturday, according to police, all while his young children waited in an SUV outside.
"He did have access to weapons," the former girlfriend said. "I definitely feel for the children. I feel for all of them—Wendy and Tara."
She told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren they met in March of 2019 and broke up a year later. She said he had severe depression—and never got help for it.
"I felt like I was the only support system for him in a way, but I had to choose my own sanity. I had to choose my own well-being. When I broke up with him, I still loved him, incredibly, but I knew that I had to put myself first. I couldn't be a part of it because he wouldn't get help."
The former girlfriend shared a text message Rajaee sent where he wrote, "There was a time that I was so low that I didn't want to live anymore. it was you that helped me get through it."
She said she was not afraid of him.
"Jay never cursed at me. He never raised a voice at me. He always told me because of what I had been in a previous relationship of being abused that he would never hurt me. That's what he said to me."
According to court records, his ex-wife Wendy Black filed multiple protective orders that were denied. Last year, in her own handwriting, she said "I am terrified because I do not know what he's capable of doing to me and the girls. I do not feel that we are safe. I do not feel safe at all. I feel that my life is in danger."
"A lot of times, people don't take it serious when people say that their life is in danger," the former girlfriend said. "Definitely about protecting women, there's definitely a broken system."
A co-worker of victim Tara Labang shared a photo with WJZ. He said her smile "could light up a room" and this has been devastating for those who knew her.
Both victims and the suspect were nurses.
Tara Labang worked at Saint Agnes. Wendy Black worked at Howard County General. A friend wrote online that Wendy adored her two children and a trust fund is being set up to help support them.
He said the two never discussed their relationships.
Wendy Black had filed multiple petitions for protective orders against her ex-husband, saying she feared for her life. They were repeatedly denied.
WJZ also spoke with a woman who said she dated Rajaee Black from March 2019 to March 2020. The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Black needed counseling for severe depression.
While she said she wasn't afraid of him, and that he was never abusive towards her, she said there's a "broken system" when it comes to protecting women from abuse.
Need Help?
If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence, there are resources available to help. The House of Ruth in Baltimore has a 24-hour hotline. Just call 410-889-7884.
