'Not going to let him take my dignity': Mom of 3 raises awareness of domestic violence after shooting puts her in wheelchair
As domestic violence deaths rise in North Carolina, a Harnett County woman narrowly escaped death earlier this year.
On Jan. 5, 34-year-old Heather Pritt, a mother of three and domestic violence survivor, was visiting one of her children at the home of her ex-boyfriend, Joshua Smith.
Pritt said, while she was leaving, Smith called her back into the house. Within seconds, authorities said Smith shot Pritt with a 9 mm handgun.
"I'm in the threshold of the door ... next thing you know I'm on my back," she described. "I remember falling on the steps and looking up in the air. I'm very thankful that I'm here."
Pritt was shot in the back of the neck. On the way to WakeMed, Pritt said she coded twice.
Pritt was hospitalized at WakeMed for three months, and doctors said she would never be able to walk again.
"I was very emotional," Pritt said. "I felt like he took enough ... I'm not going to let him take my dignity or a voice, I am going to come out swinging."
Smith was charged with attempted murder, among other charges, and is awaiting trial in the Harnett County jail under a $500,000 bond.
Domestic violence cases have spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 17 homicides related to domestic violence already reported in North Carolina this year. In 2022, 72 homicides were connected to domestic violence in the state.
Although her life was spared, Pritt now requires around-the-clock care in her parents' home. With no insurance and her retired parents on a fixed income, Pritt needs help with life's most basic necessities, like a wheelchair-accessible bathroom.
"The bathroom we have is way too tiny," said Pritt. "I need to take a shower, brush my teeth ... I really need to bathe."
A GoFundMe created by Heather's cousin has raised $250.
"My heart is breaking because she hasn’t been able to access a real bathroom to bathe and have basic essential needs met ... at no fault of Heather or her family they’ve found themselves scrambling to move forward in life," Natalie Kingdollar, her cousin, wrote on the fundraiser.
Even with all the daily struggles, Pritt said she wants to speak out to help others who may be trapped in the cycle of domestic violence.
"I don't want to sit in sorrow, I want to come out of this swinging, show other people you can get help," Pritt said. "You don't have to look like me. Move that extra step and get the help you need."
Pritt's children are 17, 13 and 7. Smith is the father of Pritt's youngest child.
Resources for domestic violence and sexual assault
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). For county-by-county help, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence has a list of resources at nccadv.org.
Here are some additional resources:
- The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) provides resources, safety plans and financial education.
- Wake County residents can call the InterAct crisis line at 919-828-7740 or go to interactofwake.org.
