Philadelphia Woman Shot Dead By Boyfriend in Front of Her Twin Sons

Sykea Patton

A Philadelphia was out walking with her four-year-old twin sons when a gunman reportedly opened fire on her.

Police say they have arrested a man accused of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend, Sykea Patton, 24, as she walked her twin sons home from school last week Friday.

Authorities say that Donovan Crawford, 27, shot Patton multiple times in the torso. She was rushed to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Patton was in the process of getting a stay-away order (also referred to as a Criminal Protective Order) against him prior to her death. According to CBS10, Crawford had proposed to Patton before they got into a huge fight.

“How can you confess to love someone and five days later you take their life? That’s not a human,” said Sykea’s father, Joseph Patton.

Crawford was arrested and charged with murder, reckless endangerment and violation of the uniform firearms act. He has not been released on bail.

Donavan Crawford

“I’m suffering today,” Joseph Patton told NBC10 during a vigil for his daughter held on Saturday. “I lost my daughter because of senseless gun violence. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. No woman deserves that.”

The local community took to the streets with purple, lilac and white balloons in honor of the slain mother of two. They were released into the sky.

Sykea Patton Tribute

The city has reached almost 500 homicides this year. The last time it was this high was in 1990, nearly three decades ago. At least women have been shot in the city this year---61 of those were fatal.

“The women now, it’s nothing to hear about a woman being shot. Once upon a time, they were off-limits,” said Colwin Williams with Philadelphia Cure Violence.

If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233) or go to www.thehotline.org for more.