Two and half months after the mass shooting at a gas station in Bossier City, a woman who lost her husband opens up about the struggles of moving on.
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Milea Casten wears her husband’s wedding ring on a leather cord around her neck.
She wears a bracelet stamped with his favorite saying “Living the Dream.”
However, Milea now feels she’s living a nightmare.
Her husband Joshua Calk was shot and killed during the mass shooting at the Valero gas station on Industrial Drive in Bossier City on May second.
In addition to managing her grief, she must now manage life without him.
“I’ve never been in this situation. How does this work? Nobody’s told me,” Casten shared. “I feel like I’m muddling through it, trying to keep my child ok, trying to keep myself ok, trying to make sure my in-laws are ok.”
Leone Fitzgerald, Director of the Caddo District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program, said help is available and those in her office believe it’s important to support crime victims as soon as possible.
“The goal is to make sure that victims receive the consideration that they’re entitled to and the respect that they deserve,” said Fitzgerald.
State and federal laws outline the rights bestowed to victims of violent crimes. Fitzgerald described how she and her staff provide support for victims.
“We’re going to keep them advised of what’s going on with their case. We’re going to make appointments for them to come in and meet with the prosecutor’s office on their cases. If a trial is coming up we’re going to help prepare them for trial.” Fitzgerald explained. “One of the things we try to do is to refer victims for any resources in our community that might be their specific needs like compensation, or protective orders or emergency shelter.”
The mass shooting happened in Bossier Parish but Fitzgerald explained that most parishes in Louisiana have victim assistance programs. She advises victims to find resources by calling the District Attorney’s office in their parish or visiting their website.
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections has a Crime Victims Services Bureau. Their website provides a Victim-Survivor Guidebook which can be downloaded. The site also provides the victim notification and registration form.
“The form is available and it should be provided by law enforcement early on but that’s not always possible,” Fitzgerald said. “So any victim of a crime can call us, whether they filled out that form or not, and we’re going to help them and they’re going to receive our services.”
The complete Basic Rights of Victims statute is posted at Louisiana.gov. Victims of violent crime can also find resources at The National Center for Victims of Crime.
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