Four Kids Orphaned After Father Allegedly Shoots His Wife and Commits Suicide

Four children lost their father and mother in one night due to domestic violence shooting.

The Denver Police Department responded to a call on the evening of February 11 at the 5400 block of Topeka Court in Aurora, Colorado, for reports of a shooting incident.

Khitam Jumaah, 33, mother of four, was immediately taken to the hospital for sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in the body but was pronounced dead.

Suars Ghaidan, 45, the father, had a gunshot wound and was also taken to the hospital but died the next day.

The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner ruled the mother's death homicide while it concluded that suicide was the cause of the father's. Further, the authorities took to Twitter and declared that the shooting incident was "domestic-related."

Parentless too soon

The deceased parents left four children - son Ridha Nejadi, 17, daughter Rusul, 15, and two younger sisters, ages six and nine. The kids are currently staying at a friend's house.

When asked about what happened, Rusul recalled how five minutes before the horrific incident that would change their lives forever, she and her mom were still doing gift bags for her sister's birthday party and talking about her upcoming "sweet 16" celebration.

 "I wake up every morning hoping that it's a nightmare. My parents tried everything to just keep us safe and have a roof over our heads and food and everything. My parents, they were really good people, really good providers and everything. Especially my mom, my mom was, like, the best mom ever. She was the best person," Rusul told Denver7.

The children were brought to America from Iraq when they were little.

Losing both mother and father in one night is beyond heart-wrenching. However, when talking about the two older kids, their resiliency was described as "palpable."

Ridha, the eldest, said he tries not to forget that his parents have been there for him.

Rusul, on the other hand, explained that their mom taught them how to be tough and how they would be yelled at when they became too emotional.

Read also: Mother Arrested Following School Assignment on Domestic Shooting Incident Involving Her

Domestic violence in the United States

According to the National Library of Medicine, family and domestic violence is one of the most common problems in the United States. It affects an average of ten million people in America yearly, with one in four women and one in nine men being victims of domestic violence. It was further stated that the number of people affected by family and domestic violence would rise over the next 20 years and mostly affect the elderly.

Domestic and family violence includes economic, physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse toward children, adults, and elders. These are usually caused by a "cycle of abuse" that is often continued due to exposure to children, which the latter brings into adult relationships.

Alarmingly enough, this kind of violence is said to be underreported. Thus, it becomes difficult to identify, which is dangerous as it affects the victims, their families, co-workers, and even the entire community.

The kids of Khitam Jumaah and Suars Ghaidan may experience negative effects, psychological and physical and a decrease in their quality of life and productivity.

Pamela Leonidas, the teacher of Rusul at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College and DEnver7 Gives, launched a fund for the four children who are left with no other family members in the United States. Leonidas' GoFundMe has already gathered $23,000 as of last Friday.

Ridha and Rusul left messages for other children who still have their parents with them.

Ridha suggested checking with the family and figuring out difficulties, while Rusul encouraged kids to hug their parents.

Related Article: Domestic Violence & Child Custody Myths: These Beliefs Will Hurt Families More Than Help Them