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Who was Shantavia Reddick? Third-grade teacher and her dog shot dead while helping friend escape domestic dispute

As per Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Shantavia Reddick's alleged killer Dimitri Humphrey is still on the lose

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

SPRING, TEXAS: Award-winning third-grade Smith Elementary School teacher Shantavia Reddick, 26, was shot dead on Saturday, September 9, while attempting to assist a friend in escaping an alleged domestic violence situation. 

Reddick, who was also carrying her dog, was shot in the head and chest inside an apartment building in the 2300 block of East Mossy Oaks in Spring on Saturday, as per Fox News.

According to the district, she was chosen Spring ISD's Rookie Teacher of the Year for the 2021–2022 academic year. Public data indicate that she attended Texas Southern University as well as Prairie View A&M University.

As per Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Dimitri Humphrey, 28, has been identified as the killer. He shot Reddick and her dog dead, but not his girlfriend, with whom he was fighting.

Shantavia Reddick saved her friend’s life by giving up her own

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Shantavia Reddick went to her friend's house on Saturday morning to get involved in a persistent domestic dispute.

Gonzalez claimed that the teacher was shot multiple times by Dimitri Humphrey while she was communicating with her friend. The alleged perpetrator also shot her dog, who died along with the teacher. 

The Harris County Sheriff said that Humphrey was still on the run, and the girlfriend was unharmed. Gonzalez reported that the accused left the area in a white Jeep Wrangler with the Texas license plate TFN-4278.

As of now, Reddick's family didn't respond to a request for comment.

A statement from the school district read, "Spring ISD is deeply saddened about the passing of one of our 3rd-grade teachers, Ms. Shantavia Reddick."

"Ms. Reddick, who had been with Spring ISD since 2020, was a beloved team member at Smith Elementary School. This is a deep loss for not only Spring ISD but to public education as a whole. Our hearts are with her family at this very difficult time," added the statement. 

Harris County Sheriff Gonzalez said, "Reddick saved her friend’s life, giving her own," as per Law and Crime.

Millions of Americans are impacted by Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) every year

According to the Gun Violence Archive, 14 people have been shot and killed in Houston since September 1, 2023.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that millions of Americans are impacted by Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) each year, as per Newsweek.

As per statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), the United Nations characterized the dramatic increase in domestic violence during the COVID-19 epidemic as the "Shadow Pandemic," which has not abated since then.

Domestic violence cases surged globally between 2020 and 2021, the first year of the pandemic, by 25% to 33%, per the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The CDC further noted, "About 16 million women and 11 million men who reported experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime said that they first experienced these forms of violence before the age of 18." 

Anyone with information about Humphrey's whereabouts is urged by the Harris County Sheriff's Office to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477), submit a tip online at crime-stoppers.org, or utilize the Crime Stoppers Houston mobile app.