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Man Accused of Shooting and Killing Wife Asks for Children to be Moved to Safer Home
by Reported by Stacy Danielhttp://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/info/custody-abuse/custody-news/man-accused-of-shooting-and-killing-wife-asks-for-children-to-be-moved-to-safer-home
Tasha Norris
A family torn apart after a fatal shooting is now in a heated fight over where to place the victim's children.
On July 9, 24-year-old Tasha Norris was fatally shot. Her husband, John Norris, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Since the shooting, the couple's two young children have been in protective custody. But that changed Wednesday. They have been moved to another location and that's not what some members of the victim's family want.
A mother of two is dead, killed by her husband.
While authorities work to find out if the shooting was an accident or homicide, the lives of two small children hang in the balance. At first they were placed in the care of their babysitter, Tasha's close friend, Jenny Dersham, but that didn't last long.
"They removed the children from me two days afterwards because they thought the father was going to be violent towards us and the children and he knew where they were, so they took the children away from us and put them in protective care," Dersham said.
Two weeks later, the kids were back at their new, still temporary home. But suddenly, Child Protective Services announced the kids are moving again. While the father had requested the move, Child Protective Services says the decision was made due to concerns about the safety of the children.
"We do not move children unless we find it necessary to do so. They've already been traumatized enough. This was a tough decision, but one that was necessary," said Tracy Buckingham with Child Protective Services.
Tasha's aunt contacted KSBY, concerned about the children. Her email says, "My family is very confused about the processes of child services and why they would respect the wishes of Mr. Norris in regards to his children when he is the reason his children are in the place that they are. We need help here, as it seems no one really cares that these kids' mother died from his carelessness."
To be fair, social services they are just looking out for the best interest of the children.
"He (John Norris) has been charged, but he's not been convicted of the crime. He's their dad. They've lost their mother. We need to maintain whatever connection we can for children with their families," said Buckingham.
Norris will be back in court on September 17.
© 2009 KSBY 6 News
Posted by Rachel Allen on August 26, 2009
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The children are finally with their maternal grandparents in the midwest. This case was so shocking to me because I know the mother's grandparents, and Social Services kept "putting the children's interests first" by putting them in strangers' homes, and giving them to "friends" of the father instead of placing them with their familiar and loving grandparents. The grandparents were living in a gated community with good security, where the children would have been safe and loved. Thank God their grandparents, Chris and Michelle, never gave up.
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