Shattered by "Sudden" Violence

I have been following how the media reports on domestic violence homicides for almost 20 years. I still get amazed at the words that get chosen to describe these violent crimes. Two cases in point today in the News and Observer.

The story, "2 years later, a mother's slaying remains unsolved." states "...arrest of Brad Cooper on murder charges in the slaying of his wife, Nancy - the case of another suburban couple with young chidlren and a seemingly bright future shattered by sudden violence."

Sudden violence? That's obnoxious when just a week earlier the N and O quoted Pat Bazemore, the Cary police chief as stating, "It has been a case of domestic violence of the very worst kind." Sudden violence has nothing to do with domestic violence. Domestic violence is a slow, insidious form of violence that an abuser uses in a calculated and cunning way. Sudden has little to do with it.

Then to add to the insult, today's article includes a timeline of the murder of Michelle Young that states, "Her 2-year-old daughter is found unharmed." How could that be? Yes, yes, I know I am supposed to assume they mean physically unharmed - you know, as though physical harm is the only type of harm that has any significance on our lives?

The article states, "...deputies found tiny footprints in blood left by her 2-year-old daughter." She is not unharmed. Let's stop putting blinders on and refusing to see the harm caused to children by witnessing physical violence and homicide. And let's especially not put blinders on when the violence that children witness is violence that is inflicted on one parent by the other one.