Largo - Wendy Loomas of the Pinellas County Domestic Violence Task Force read the names of all eleven victims in front of a crowd of people mostly dressed in coats to brave the chilly weather.
The lives of one man, eight women and two young children were all remembered in prayer and in a moment of silence.
The organizers of the candlelight vigil want to get the word out that there's help available to victims that could save lives. Linda Osmundson, is the Executive Director of a shelter that provides all kinds of services to victims of domestic abuse. The name of the organization is Community Action Stops Violence.
Osmundson knows what women need to escape domestic violence because she's been there. She says she survived 18 years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband. “He had a gun and I ended up getting out of the car because I was so afraid."
But leaving for good can be the most dangerous time for women. Osmundson says "I always knew that if I left him something really bad would happen." Luckily for Linda she didn't have to leave her husband because he was sent to prison on unrelated charges. She says it's a move that saved her life.
Still she says she's not sure if she would have ever been able to leave her abuser even with professionals providing her a step by step plan. "I don't know. I'm not sure. I did have that plan available to me because I worked in a domestic violence situation."
Organizers of the vigil say it's important for the community to reach out and help women in trouble. If you hear someone making a threat, take it seriously and report it immediately.