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Parents of domestic violence victim spread awareness in eastern Carolina

March 2019

WITN-TV
  
Posted:   
 
GREENVILLE, NC (WITN) A couple who lost their daughter to domestic violence came to eastern Carolina to share her story so that others might live.

Jan and Ron Kimble founded the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage after their daughter Jamie Kimble was shot and killed by an ex-boyfriend in 2012. He then turned the gun on himself.

The Kimbles lived in Greenville for 17 years. Ron Kimble is a former city manager and Jamie Kimble graduated from J-H Rose High School. The couple returned to Greenville Tuesday for a forum on dating abuse.

"Our daughter was very loving, very generous, thoughtful and kind," said Ron Kimble. Their daughter's death gave them a new mission-- preventing dating abuse, particularly among teens and young adults. "To save as many other victims and as many other lives as we can," said Kimble.

It's a problem Sheriff Paula Dance says is too common and more complicated than you may think.  "When you're talking about domestic violence, you're talking about so many different facets of it, emotional, physical, control," said Dance.
The Kimbles say abusers may start off treating their partners very well in the beginning, but become controlling, manipulative and suspicious as time goes on, which sometimes leads to violence.

"[Jaime's] abuse was psychological and emotional, not physical until the day that she died," said Jan Kimble.

Ron Kimble says 1,500 people are killed due to domestic violence every year.

"They are not statistics, they are people. They are human beings," said Kimble.

One way the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage is educating young people on the issue is through domestic violence clubs in high schools across the state. Right now J-H Rose High is the only school in Pitt County with one of the programs.

If you or someone you know needs help getting out of an abusive situation there are many state and local resources. The Center for Family Violence and Prevention operates a 24-hour crisis line. The number is (252) 752-3811.

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