Saturday, December 22, 2012
Did you tell your children? Do you have advice to share with other parents on how to approach this delicate conversation?
The morning of Dec. 14 came as a shock to all parents. We watched news of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut with tears in our eyes and a lump in our throats. While the rest of us went about our mornings on Friday, 26 innocent lives were lost at a suburban school much like the ones where we send our own children. Many questions were raised throughout that day and over the weekend, not the least of which was: "How do we explain this to our children?" Counselors, psychiatrists and others have offered ideas for talking to children about what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary. Social media has been abuzz with parents asking each other, "Will you? If so, how?" Some parents decided it was best to say nothing, while others …
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office responded to a shooting in Canton's Forest Creek subdivision.
Detectives are now confident that Christopher Scott Coker of Canton "possessed (the) weapon when it discharged" Wednesday night, said Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Older brother Jeff Coker, also of Canton, was shot in the face and flown to Atlanta Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition. "No additional charges have been filed" against the younger Coker, Baker said. One brother is fighting for his life while another is sitting in the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center after an overnight shooting in Canton's Forest Creek subdivision. At about 11 p.m. Wednesday, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office responded to a shooting at 1094 Forest Creek Dr., just off Cumming Highway. Jeff Coker, …
Friday, June 10, 2011
Family and friends remember Shannon Lawrence during an emotional funeral in Woodstock.
Hundreds of people flocked to St. Michael the Archangel this afternoon to remember Shannon Lawrence, the 25-year-old Canton woman who died after Sunday's fatal custody swap in Milton. The vestibule of the Woodstock church was filled with poster-size photos of Lawrence and numerous floral arrangements. As the service began, it also held friends who could no longer find a pew in the 700-seat church. Mourners began to arrive an hour before mass. They greeted one another with hugs, tears and stories about Shannon. Among those in attendance were members of the Marine Corps League and the Warriors' Watch Riders, there to support Karen Lawrence, Shannon's stepmother and a U.S. Marine. Father Larry Niese – Father Larry to his parishoners – was …
34.193732
-84.506482
Cherokee Memorial Park
120 Memorial Dr, Canton, GA
/articles/goodbye-for-now
1149983
/locations/4585722
Thursday, June 9, 2011
As the visitation for Shannon Lawrence gets underway in Woodstock, newly released Cherokee County Sheriff's Office reports offer a glimpse into the woman's troubled relationship with shooting suspect Christopher Erdman.
Christopher Erdman and Shannon Lawrence had a rocky relationship. There were calls to law enforcement. There were protective and restraining orders. There were court interventions. And on Sunday, there were gunshots. Lawrence, 25, of Canton, was shot four times in the face and neck in the parking lot of Birmingham Crossroads, 15780 Birmingham Hwy., Milton Police Capt. Shawn McCarty said. She later died from those wounds at Northside Hospital-Forsyth in Cumming. Newly released records supplied by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office reveal years of friction, usually over their two children, a son who turned one year old today and a daughter who will turn three on June 25. The first known call to the sheriff's office was placed at 1:11 p.m. …
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The 25-year-old Canton woman who died after Sunday's fatal custody swap in Milton typed this note to the Forsyth County Superior Court on Jan. 31.
On Jan. 31, Shannon Lawrence asked the Forsyth County Superior Court for a temporary protective order against Christopher Erdman, the father of her children and the man suspected of shooting her four times in the face and neck on Sunday. As part of that petition, which was granted but later dismissed, she typed the words on page 3 of the above PDF file. Visitors can pay their respects to the Lawrence family from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Woodstock Funeral Home. A funeral mass has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at St. Michael the Archangel in Woodstock, followed by a procession to Cherokee Memorial Park in Canton. Randy Lawrence, Shannon's father, said that a trust fund has been set up for his two grandchildren, Emma Catherine Marie Erdman …
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
After a Cumming man allegedly shot a Canton woman in front of their children Sunday, the Cherokee Family Violence Center wants to revisit the judicial process meant to protect victims of domestic violence.
The executive director of the Cherokee Family Violence Center pored over the court files of Shannon Lawrence, the 25-year-old Canton woman who died after Sunday's fatal custody swap in Milton. The files, Meg Rogers said, revealed a woman who was afraid. "She’s reporting it to law enforcement," she said. "She’s reporting it to the court. She says in her court pleadings he has guns" and asks authorities to remove all weapons from her ex-boyfriend's Cumming home. That ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Christopher Erdman, is now in the Fulton County Jail, accused of shooting Lawrence four times in the face and neck in front of their children. For more than 25 years, the Cherokee Family Violence Center in Canton has assisted battered women. Lawrence …
34.23726
-84.4898
Cherokee County Justice Center
90 North St, Canton, GA
/articles/advocacy-group-to-call-for-discussion-after-fatal-custody-swap
1150839
/locations/5348573
Monday, June 6, 2011
Three Fridays ago, Shannon Lawrence told the Cherokee County Superior Court that she feared for her safety.
Three Fridays ago, Shannon Lawrence told the Cherokee County Superior Court that she feared for her safety. Christopher Erdman, the father of her two children, refused to comply with a March 2 protective order that prevented him from harrassing and abusing her. He "continually" fired off "threatening" and "intimidating" emails and texts to the Canton woman, her attorney alleged in a May 13 motion for contempt. "This conduct has caused great concern and fear for the Defendant," the attorney, Michael McLaughlin, wrote. Erdman, 25, was ordered to appear before Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Anthony Baker on June 15 to respond to the allegations and others. Now the Cumming man will appear before a Fulton County judge for another reason: …
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Christopher Erdman allegedly shot Shannon Lawrence, the mother of his children, at the spot where they hand off the kids to one another.
A 25-year-old Canton man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of his children's mother. Christopher Erdman allegedly shot Shannon Lawrence, also of Canton, four times in the face and neck in the parking lot of Birmingham Crossroads, 15780 Birmingham Hwy., Milton Police Capt. Shawn McCarty said. McCarty said Erdman and Lawrence, who never married, used the shopping center as the drop-off point when exchanging their two children. It's unclear if the children witnessed the shooting. Milton police responded to a call at 2:02 p.m. today of shots being fired at the mostly empty shopping center, according to Milton Police Capt. Shawn McCarty. When they arrived, they found shell casings in the parking lot along with a pool of …
The suspect, also from Canton, shot the mother of his children, Milton authorities said.
Original breaking news alert: 7:56 p.m. Sunday A 25-year-old woman, possibly from Canton, is dead after a shooting near Birmingham Crossroads in Milton this afternoon. Milton police responded to a call at 2:02 p.m. of shots being fired at 15780 Birmingham Highway, according to Milton Police Capt. Shawn McCarty. When they arrived, they found shell casings in the parking lot along with a pool of blood. McCarty said that police were later notified that the suspect and the victim were at Northside Hospital-Forsyth in Cumming. By the time police arrived at the hospital, the victim, Shannon Lawrence, was dead from the gunshot wound. Christopher Erdman, also 25, has been arrested in the shooting death. WGCL-TV reported this evening that Lawrence …
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
After he was wrongfully arrested for the murder of a DeKalb strip club owner, Joey Celestin lost his job, his home and more.
A Canton man mistakenly fingered as the suspect in the September 2010 shooting death of a strip club owner intends to sue DeKalb County for damages, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting. Hours after Terry Stephenson was gunned down outside Pin Up's, an adult entertainment club located just east of Decatur on East Ponce De Leon Avenue, police converged on the River Ridge apartments in Canton and arrested Celestin in front of his two sons. He spent 21 days in jail before evidence revealed he was at work at the time of the shooting. Celestin spoke to WSB-TV nearly two weekends ago, the first time he'd given an interview since his exoneration. Click here to watch the report.
Always an Emerson girl!
1:04 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Heard a lady on a talk show Friday say if teachers/school administrators were armed at Sandy Hook maybe 'only' two people would have been killed instead of the 26 that were. I just don't understand people who think irrationally although I do understand the mindset (I think); however, if 'only' two people were killed, try making the families of those 'only' 2 people feel better. You would not be … more ›