‘He pulled the gun on me’: Domestic violence survivor remembers close call

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Many times domestic violence situations are hard to escape, but not impossible.

News Leader 9 spoke with a survivor who remembers a close call.

“He pulled the gun on me and I turned it on him,” said Nadine Jenkins, domestic violence survivor.

Jenkins says she was nearly a victim of domestic abuse, but in a split second, she chose to fight for her life.

“I think what really triggered me was when he started in on my children,” she said.

Situations like these are what founder of Project Rebound Doctor Jaleem Hud works to prevent.

“Everyone wants to look at the people who are perpetuating the violence, but the violence at the root is you have to have multipronged approach. You have to deal with the family,” said Dr. Hud.

Hud says domestic violence is not just physical.

“It could be terrorizing emotionally. It could be bullying. It could be withholding funds. It could just be a lot of different ways you could be accountable for domestic violence,” he explained.

Jenkins says her abuse was physical and it did not end until a violent struggle involving a gun and the death of her husband.

“Mine definitely ended in a fatality. It’s just that I was the one strong enough to live,” Jenkins said.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, you can find resources and more information on Project Rebound here.

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