On a tragic Mother's Day weekend in 2021, a young Black woman named Selena Dukes, 23, lost her life in an act of violence that stemmed from her attempt to help a friend. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of an apartment complex in South Fulton, Georgia, on May 8, 2021. Dukes had accompanied her friend to the residence of the friend's ex-boyfriend, 33-year-old Diante Gore, to pick up her infant child.
An argument erupted between the former couple, and Dukes stepped in, attempting to de-escalate the volatile situation.
As the confrontation moved to the parking lot, the dispute took a fatal turn. Gore allegedly produced a firearm and shot Dukes in the back as she and her friend tried to flee. Selena Dukes, a mother to a young daughter herself, was pronounced dead at the scene. The senseless act of violence left her family and friends devastated, who remembered her as a sweet, nice, and very bubbly person. A candlelight vigil was later held in her hometown of Smyrna, Georgia, to honor her memory.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Diante Gore fled the scene on foot and a manhunt ensued. The South Fulton Police Department issued warrants for his arrest on multiple charges, including murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. At the time of the initial reports, Gore had not been apprehended. The case brought renewed attention to the issue of domestic violence and the tragic consequences that can ripple out to affect even those trying to intervene peacefully.
