Family of Tomara Agnew speaks out, says domestic violence too common

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The man accused of killing a South Bend grandmother was arraigned on murder charges on Monday. 

An attorney appeared on Anthony Patton Jr.'s behalf, just one week after he was accused of shooting and killing 40-year-old Tomara Agnew, and then shooting at police. 

"I'm traumatized. My aunt died from three gunshot wounds. She didn't have a chance to defend herself," says Justin Jacobs, Agnew's nephew. "It was a domestic dispute that just escalated and he took the wrong actions."

Actions that changed so many lives forever.                                                                                                                        

On October 7th, an alleged argument between Agnew and her daughter's boyfriend, 23-year-old Anthony Patton Jr., turned deadly. 

ABC57 News sat down with Jacobs at Linden Grill, one of Agnew's favorite places to go.

"She loved this place," Jacobs says, looking around. "She was here that night before she was taken off of this Earth."

Patton now sits behind bars. For Jacobs, it's not enough. 

"He hurt this community, he hurt our family, he hurt his immediate family," he says. "What I hope happens, is that he serves a lifetime in prison, and that he serves it in the hardest way possible." 

It's all too familiar for him and his family.

"I feel like there's a trend with these young men taking these aggressive actions against women and taking their lives and taking them away from their families. My mother, Tomara's sister, was killed in her own home too," he explains. 

It's a tragic trend he feels seems to have no end. 

"When it comes to domestic violence, everyone in our community needs to think twice," Jacobs says. "If you're arguing with someone, or whatever problem you have, you have to think about the actions you want to take, and how that could inflict not just yourself but the people around them." 

Patton's next court date is October 24. 

Jacobs says the family is incredibly thankful for that community's assistance in finding Patton and helping police.  He says the support means so much. 

Agnew's funeral is on Friday.  

There is a GoFundMe page available to help the family deal with the unexpected funeral costs. It can be found here.