16 September 2025
Remembering Romeca Meeks: When Domestic Violence Turns Deadly in Plain Sight
Romeca Meeks, 31, was fatally shot outside her child’s school in Chicago’s South Loop after dropping off her young son. Reports indicate that her ex-partner, Way, restrained her while another woman, Johnson—the child’s other mother—pulled the trigger.
The Last Note: A Mother's Love
Like many of us, Meeks likely spent her morning getting her son ready for school, navigating the rush of morning traffic, and making sure he knew he was loved. She left a note in his lunchbox: “Start off strong… I love you so much.”
For survivors and parents alike, this act is profoundly relatable. Intentionally expressing love and pride to children, reminding them to make good choices, is a small but significant ritual in many homes. That Romeca performed this same ritual before her life was violently stolen underscores the cruel arbitrariness of domestic violence.
The Dangers of Minimizing Domestic Violence
On September 8, 2025—the same day as Meeks’s murder—Donald Trump suggested that domestic violence should not be counted in official crime statistics, dismissing spousal abuse as “a little fight with the wife” during a speech at Washington’s Museum of the Bible.
Such statements perpetuate a culture that downplays the severity of domestic violence, discourages victims from seeking help, and undermines systemic efforts to address abuse comprehensively. They also echo a troubling history of gender-based violence in the U.S., reinforcing patterns that continue to endanger women and gender-minorities.
Interplay of Domestic Violence and Gun Access
When firearms are involved, domestic violence becomes five times more lethal. In other words, women are five times likelier to die when guns are present in abusive relationships. These statistics are even higher when considering intersecting factors: 45.1% of Black women experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime.
Although Meeks was killed by her son’s father’s current girlfriend, the statistics remain relevant. Reports suggest Meeks had been stalked repeatedly by Way and had obtained a restraining order against him. Witness accounts indicate that Way held Meeks in a headlock outside the school, while Johnson, armed with a firearm, shot her multiple times.
Video footage circulating online shows Johnson defending her right to own a firearm, while Way claims self-defense. Given that Meeks was restrained in a headlock when she was shot, these claims strain credulity. As of this writing, Way has not been detained for his role in the crime.
Conclusion
Romeca Meeks’s life was stolen in a moment of brutality that unfolded in plain sight—outside a school, during a morning routine that should have been safe and ordinary. Her story is not isolated; it is part of a pattern in which domestic violence, when ignored or minimized, escalates into deadly violence.
The statistics are not abstract—they represent daughters, sisters, mothers, and friends whose lives are cut short because systems failed to take their danger seriously. Romeca’s last note to her son, urging him to “start off strong,” now serves as both a haunting legacy and a call to action.
To remember Romeca is to act—by speaking truthfully about domestic violence, pushing for stronger laws and protections, centering survivors’ voices, and refusing to normalize abuse. Romeca’s love for her son was fierce; our response to her death must be equally fierce. Silence is complicity. Action is remembrance.
As someone who has served survivors of gender-based violence for over a decade, I write this not only as an advocate but also as a survivor. My professional journey has taken me from frontline advocacy to founding L.I.F.E. Recovery, Training, & Coaching, where I facilitate trainings, provide coaching, and serve as an expert witness in cases involving domestic and sexual violence, trauma recovery, coercive control, and substance use.
I founded my business to disrupt silos and bring the conversation about domestic violence to spaces where it is often ignored. Systems must be held accountable, and survivors deserve culturally humble, trauma-informed support at every stage of their journey. Cases like Romeca’s reinforce why advocacy and reform cannot wait.
For more information, or to connect, please visit life-recovery.net or reach out to [email protected]
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please contact the National Network to End Domestic Violence at: 1800-799-SAFE (7233)
For more information on what New Jersey is doing to combat domestic violence, please go to: NJCEDV.org