MIDWEST CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) -- An Oklahoma mother is hoping to be a voice for the voiceless after her pregnant 19-year-old daughter was shot and killed in an act of domestic violence last week.
"Her baby had a heartbeat," Tia Cooper, whose daughter was Promise Cooper, said.
Tia said her 19-year-old daughter was planning out her life and all the things that she would do with her future baby girl, Miracle.
"This is the stuffed animal she got when she found out she was pregnant, and it was going to be her babyโs first stuffed animal," Tia said.
Her family now holds that stuffed animal as a reminder as they grieve the loss of Promise and her unborn baby.
Promise was shot and killed in an act of domestic violence, according to police. Her boyfriend was arrested in connection to her death.
Police reports and the family both said that her pregnancy could be the reason.
"He wanted her dead because she wouldnโt have an abortion," Tia said.
The night Promise was shot, police said she called 911 and told dispatch that her boyfriend was threatening her. Police tried to find her, but a name mix-up kept them from doing so.
Forty-four minutes after she called police, she was killed.
"I believe she fought to the end. She knew what she was doing. She was collecting her own evidence, and she knew she was going to take a monster off the street. She probably just didnโt know it was going to take her life to get him off the street," Tia said.
Promise's family wants her story to be shared in hopes of helping other domestic violence victims.
"I'm a domestic violence survivor myself, and it hurts because I tried to prepare her for something like this not to happen to her, and it ended up happening," Tia said. "Talk to somebody. If you keep it to yourself, nobody knows and nobody can help you."
Promise's family is raising money for a funeral for her and baby Miracle. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with expenses.
KOCO 5 is not naming the suspect until formal charges are filed.