West Haven leaders call for awareness about abuse, domestic violence after 6 deaths

WEST HAVEN — In the wake of the violent deaths of six people, leaders of West Haven have called on the public to put more focus on the instability typically underlying such incidents of abuse and domestic violence as a guard against them.

"We've had a lot of unfortunate things that have happened within the city, and those types of things, I think, spurred this on a little bit," Mayor Rob Vanderwood said while presenting a resolution aimed at raising awareness about domestic violence and abuse.

"In West Haven, there's been six deaths attributed to domestic violence and other forms of abuse in our city," he said.

• A 12-year-old West Haven boy, Gavin Peterson, died July 9 after suffering severe malnutrition. Three family members have each been charged in 2nd District Court with child abuse homicide in the case.
• On Aug. 5, two Weber County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man in West Haven who had taken two children hostage with an "edged weapon" after he made "statements of harm."
• On the evening of Sept. 1 or morning of Sept. 2, Maribel Ibarra, 32, shot and killed her three young children, ages 4, 2 and 1, in the rear cargo area of a car parked in the driveway of her West Haven home. She then turned the gun on herself, according to sheriff's officials, who have said they don't know what motivated the woman.

The resolution, read at Wednesday's West Haven City Council meeting, declares October as Domestic Violence and Awareness Month in the city. Per the resolution, Vanderwood said, the city recognizes the importance of the public and nonprofit organizations in helping to prevent and address domestic violence and "create a culture that refuses to tolerate abuse." Nationwide, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services.

The West Haven resolution prompted little discussion at Wednesday's meeting. "Heartbreaking that we even have to do something like this, but fully support it," said Councilwoman Nina Morse.

Earlier, Vanderwood told KSL.com the recent violence had shocked and saddened many in West Haven, where such incidents are an anomaly.

The death of Gavin "was a big emotional situation for everybody," he said, adding that family members of Ibarra didn't know of any underlying issues that may have provoked the murder-suicide. "The family wasn't even aware."

While the three incidents technically aren't cases of domestic violence, typically defined as violence involving "intimate" partners, each involved family members or unstable domestic situations. Moreover, the resolution — mainly a call for more focus on the topic of violence within the family unit — references concern, more broadly, about abuse.

Per the resolution, West Haven leaders call on city residents "to rededicate ourselves in creating a society where domestic violence is not tolerated, where survivors are supported and where all people have an opportunity to thrive without fear of violence or abuse."

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