Friends, family, and coworkers of London Powers gathered outside her former place of work in Durham to honor her memory with a balloon release.
“I’m feeling so overwhelmed about all the support and the love she has here," said Tia Powers, London's mother. "I knew she had a Durham family, because how she spoke of them. But actually see it is heartbreaking. I know they’re feeling the same pain I’m feeling.”
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Tia Powers tells WRAL her daughter was moving out of an apartment she shared with her ex-boyfriend Damien Tinsley when he opened fire on Powers and then himself. DPD have identified Tinsley as the suspect in the shooting.
“The argument just escalated. When it first started, it really wasn’t that bad. Then it just took a turn for the worst. And it just escalated," said Shiann Boyd, Power's friend who was there at the time of the shooting.
Friends of Powers describe her as being calm, cool, and collected. She was pursing a masters degree in social work at North Carolina Central University.
“She was just like the light in every room. Every room she would walk in, she would just brighten it," said Boyd.
Powers' mother believes daughters death shows the importance of acknowledging the signs of domestic violence before it's too late.
“He put out that he was going to kill her and kill himself weeks before that," said Powers. "His friends and everything knew that. When people portray that, you step up and do something about that.”
Domestic violence and sexual assault resources here
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). For county-by-county help, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence has a list of resources at nccadv.org.