Dozens attend vigil for woman killed in Family Dollar shooting

UPDATE @ 8:45 p.m.:

Dozens of people attended a vigil Monday night for the woman who was killed in a shooting at Family Dollar.

Donna Brown’s friends and family gathered at 440 N. James H. McGee Blvd. in Dayton to honor and remember her.

“It’s hard, my momma was all we had so it’s hard,” Brown’s daughter Stephanie Dunn said. “I still can’t believe that she’s gone, the way she left, she didn’t deserve it.”

“Donna’s spirit was so blessed, it’s indescribable, she was just an overall happy person,” Brown’s friend Tyrus Lockhart said. “She didn’t deserve at all what happened to her.”

FIRST REPORT:

A woman killed in a shooting at the Family Dollar had a protection order against the man who also died in the shooting, which appears to be a murder-suicide, according to dispatch and court records.

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Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger identified the two as Dennis Haggin, 62, and Donna Brown, 45, both of Dayton, according to a media release Monday morning.

The store at 440 N. James H. McGee Blvd. in Dayton remained closed Monday following the shooting, which was reported around 4:40 p.m. Sunday.

Dayton police said Haggin and Brown had been in a relationship with each other for approximately 10 years before Sunday’s shooting. Haggin had a previous domestic violence incident in Trotwood in 1995 involving a different person, Dayton police Lt. Jason Hall said.

Brown told court officials when she filed a petition for a protection order that she had been in a dating relationship with Haggin. A judge approved the protection order Friday and it was served to Haggin the same day, said Hall.

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According to Brown's petition for a protection order, she told court officials Haggin had threatened to kill her and himself.

The protection order stated that Haggin was not to possess, use, carry or obtain any deadly weapon. He also was ordered to turn over all deadly weapons and his CCW license to police.

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Hall said the protection order is only part of what domestic violence victim’s can do to protect themselves.

“Nothing is foolproof,” Hall said. “A temporary protection order is just one piece of the puzzle.”

The business was open at the time of the shooting, however it’s unclear whether there were any customers inside at the time.

“We are saddened by the incident that occurred on Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of one of our Dayton store locations.  We are cooperating fully with the investigation by local law enforcement. We plan to re-open our store for normal business hours very soon,” said Family Dollar spokesperson Randy Guiler.

Hall said it’s important for victims of domestic violence to develop a safety plan and have situational awareness.  Victims can work with local agencies like the YWCA and the Artemis Domestic Violence Center to develop a plan.

YWCA HOTLINE: 937-222-SAFE

Artemis Domestic Violence Center Hotline: 937-461-HELP

An earlier version of this story identified Donna Dunn as the victim.  The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has issued a correction and said Brown also went by Donna Dunn.

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