A mother of five was killed in a murder-suicide in southern Illinois after family members say she tried to shield her children from a dangerous ex-boyfriend. Danielle Rivera, 40, died just before midnight Saturday after Xavier Harrison, 30, allegedly shot her outside an abandoned American Legion post in Cahokia Heights and then turned the gun on himself, according to KSDK.
The shooting happened in front of Rivera’s 16-year-old daughter, who family members said ran for her life and called 911. Rivera’s relatives say the encounter was not a date but a desperate attempt to keep Harrison away from her home and family. Teresa Fiudo told KSDK that Rivera believed meeting him that night was the safest way to avoid a worse confrontation at her residence.
“We lost her,” Fiudo said. “But she died protecting her kids. She did what any mother would do.” Rivera’s mother, Karen Rivera, said, “She basically put her life out there to save ours.” Those words captured the grief that now hangs over a family left without a mother, daughter and provider.
Police in Cahokia Heights said the pair were in a relationship, but Rivera’s loved ones insist they had a history and that Harrison had been harassing her for years. The family said Harrison, of Belleville, had threatened to kill Rivera and members of her family at her home, leaving her fearful for their safety. Rivera’s sisters estimate that there were about 50 domestic violence calls tied to Harrison over the past few years at two of her homes in Belleville, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
