Speaker speaks about fatal shootings he saw when he was 10 – Alexandria Echo Press

ALEXANDRIA – In 1984, the Office of Crime Victims Training and Technical Assistance Center was established.

The Crime Victims Act was also enacted this year.

But 1984 was also the year William Kellibrew’s mother and 12-year-old brother were killed by his mother’s ex-boyfriend.

Kellibrew was 10 years old at the time.

His story was told Oct. 16 at the 24th annual Domestic Abuse Awareness Luncheon hosted by United Communities Advocating Non-Violence at the Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center in Alexandria.

Kellibrew was at home when his mother and brother were killed, and his mother’s ex-boyfriend also held the gun to Kellibrew’s head.

“Please don’t kill me,” Kellibrew remembers saying.

“For some reason he just pulled away and then told me, ‘You can go,'” Kellibrew said.

The ex-boyfriend killed himself the moment Kellibrew left the house, a fact he didn’t know about for a decade.

After the deaths of his family members, Kellibrew moved in with his grandmother, whose response to the situation was not just to remove him from the community, but to an entirely new state.

“Our family’s strategy was to just forget about it. … I was 10 years old, so I couldn’t drive myself through the old neighborhood to go back and meet someone,” Kellibrew said. “My grandmother never wanted to set foot in this area again in her life. But what did it do? It has completely disconnected us from our support system and our community.”

The first time Kellibrew’s grandmother heard the story was 25 years later when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Ten years after the crimes, Kellibrew looked for them on microfilm in the library. That’s when he first learned that his mother’s ex-boyfriend had killed himself that day.

It was also the first time Kellibrew had seen a sentence in a Washington Post article: “A young boy named William witnessed the shooting but was unharmed.”

“Unhurt,” Kellibrew said. “Did you tell my neighborhood?” Is this the message sent to the community about my experience? That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Maybe they should have said ‘physical’.”

“But as a victim of this crime that day, it was a blanket statement that invalidated my experience,” he said. “And I was very hurt.”

Kellibrew said one way to combat domestic violence is to talk about it and its impact on the community.

“One of the things we can do is reach out,” he said.

This was confirmed by Becky Schmitz, Vice President of UCAN.

“Our mission is to transform our community and the lives of those affected by domestic violence through support, awareness, education and engagement,” she said. “And our vision is to be an abuse-free community. … Thank you for coming today to show your support and commitment as a member of our community to end violence in our homes, our relationships and our lives.”

For more than 40 years, Violence-Free Minnesota has published an intimate partner homicide report, a summary of Minnesotans murdered as a result of a relationship that involved domestic violence and often child abuse.

To represent the people killed in domestic violence incidents last year, 40 silhouettes were placed in front of the room.

“These people were robbed of the opportunity to expand their families, deepen their friendships, pursue their dreams and continue to make memories with their loved ones,” Schmitz said. “Imagine the lifelong grief faced by the family members and loved ones of these victims.”

The victims’ names were read by Police Chief Scott Kent and Joanne Nettestad.

During the ceremony, Mayor Bobbie Osterberg also presented the Mayor’s Peace Award to Pastor Pete Reishus, a long-time member of UCAN.

UCAN partners with Someplace Safe, a nonprofit crime victim services provider in western Minnesota with offices in nine counties.

Al Edenloff/Alexandria Echo Press

The incantation before the meal was given by Rev. Dr. Jill Sanders.

The event was sponsored by Alomere Health, REA Operation Round-Up and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Federation.

UCAN thanked Arrowwood, Winning Edge Graphics, Someplace Safe and Alexandria Technical and Community College.

Schmitz said it is the community’s responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone in the community.

“Let us unite. Let’s work together. Let us create a world where we can live freely and without violence in Alexandria, Douglas County, the state of Minnesota and our world. All of us together can bring hope and light.”