DETROIT (WXYZ) — It's a single tragedy that touches dozens of lives. Thirty-five-year-old Andricka McIntosh, a mother of seven, was killed in the midst of seeking a divorce. The man now charged in her murder is her husband of 13 years.
“She just had a heart of gold,” the victim's sister Kanisha Williams said.
Williams says McIntosh worked hard and was previously a sheriff's deputy and police officer. She most recently worked as a Transportation Security Administration agent.
“She just had the biggest heart," her sister Tynaka Collier said. "For him to just take her away from us is just sad.”
Before 8 a.m. on Friday, McIntosh was shot and killed outside her Detroit home on Gunston Street just hours before a divorce hearing. Police say when they arrived, they found six shell casings and her husband, 35-year-old Breon McIntosh, standing over her with a gun. The two shared six kids together, including their 13-year-old daughter Sa’niyah McIntosh.
“My mom, she was a very caring person," Sa'niyah said. "She loved everybody.”
Sa’niyah holds on to the countless memories spent with her mom. They were supposed to see the "Barbie" movie together over the weekend, and spent many summer days at Metro Beach pool.
“All of my siblings were inside of the pool and we all splashed her to get in, and she got in with is,” Sa'niyah said with a smile.
Andricka McIntosh’s murder is the eighth domestic homicide in Wayne County this year. There have also been a number of cases outside the city, most recently in Saline where a woman was shot and killed by an ex-boyfriend outside her job.
“We have a lot of people victimizing people that they at one point purported to love," Detroit Police Department Chief James White said on Friday. "It’s very tragic."
White says the city is also facing this issue, holding a press briefing on the case Friday.
“When you talk about intimate partner violence, we see a slight uptick, but the level of violence is up," White said. "We’re going from assaults to fatalities.”
As Andricka McIntosh’s family grieves, they say her death could’ve been prevented. They hope something will chang,e so others don't go through the same thing.
“It really needs to stop. It’s crazy," Williams said. "I feel like these men are not thinking about the life that they’re leaving behind, and they’re not thinking about their children when they take their mother.”
If you are in a situation and need help, you can find links to assistance on the city of Detroit's website. You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "start" to 88788.
Andricka McIntosh’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise her seven children.
