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SafeNest advocates: Domestic violence cases on the rise after Las Vegas mass shooting

Posted at 6:31 AM, Aug 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-24 21:00:41-04

Since the 1 October shooting, advocates at SafeNest say they have seen a rise in domestic violence cases across Clark County.

On average the SafeNest hotline receives 17 to 20 calls an hour every day, but since the shooting, they say that number has gone up by 10 percent.

"We started to see an increasing amount of hotline calls and an increasing amount in people requesting shelter," said Liz Ortenburger, CEO of SafeNest.

Ortenburger said a similar trend was seen after the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting and September 11. 

The troubling correlation can in part be blamed on post-traumatic stress triggers.

"People are self-medicating and PTSD may be triggered or formed for the first time, even if folks witness it on TV they can have a post-traumatic stress disorder," Ortenburger said.

Last year Nevada ranked 2nd in the most domestic violence deaths in the country, while Clark County saw up to 90 percent of those cases.

SafeNest is investing more resources in their victim shelters and boosting their batterers program. They also started working directly with Las Vegas police to visit domestic violence victims right as police get on scene.