LEXINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) – The parents of Lexington Police Officer Kaitlin Crook are speaking out publicly for the first time days after their daughter died in a domestic shooting.
“She was a spitfire. She was small. She was powerful. You wouldn’t tell her anything. She would make her own path,” Caitlin’s mother said.
That’s how many members of the Lexington Police Department describe Caitlin.
Her parents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was a nickname their daughter adopted while doing what she loved most, serving the people of Lexington.
“Just being independent and loving you more than anyone else. Very headstrong,” Caitlin’s father said.
Although Caitlin’s parents say that becoming a police officer has been her goal since she was a child, her 4-year-old son is what keeps her going.
“He was her world. He was always her main focus,” Caitlin’s father said.
He is a child who will now grow up without a mother.
“I’m numb. I feel like life as I know it ended on December 17th,” Caitlin’s mother said.
On Wednesday around 9 p.m., multiple agencies responded to what the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation described as a “domestic-related shooting” involving Caitlin and two other men.
Caitlin was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators identified the other two men as Caitlin’s estranged husband and her boyfriend, an off-duty Lexington firefighter.
Firearms belonging to both men were found at the scene.
Caitlin’s ex-husband remains in critical condition and her boyfriend is expected to make a full recovery, according to the SBI.
It’s a tragedy that Caitlin’s family is still processing.
“Even someone who is so willful and determined can still become a victim,” Caitlin’s mother said.
Caitlin’s parents said their daughter’s funeral will be held Friday at Briggs Funeral Home in Denton.
An SBI spokesperson said they are still investigating what led to the shooting.
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