A Lesson From Tragedy

Kristine Ghazelian, barely 16, and her sister Talar, 14, were left injured and orphaned Dec. 21 after their father went on a rampage, killing their mother, their 13-year-old sister, Garine, and then himself.

Gabriel Ghazelian, a Sherman Oaks auto mechanic, was apparently distraught over his impending divorce from his wife, Zabel, a popular teacher at the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Hollywood, which the three girls attended. Police believe Ghazelian asked his estranged wife for a ride, then shot his family in their minivan near Griffith Park. He apparently leaped from a nearby freeway overpass to his death in the Los Angeles River.

A hospital spokesman said the two surviving sisters are expected to fully recover--at least physically.

The Griffith Park shootings are a painful reminder that the unimaginable happens. Whether it takes place behind closed doors at the family home or in newspaper headlines, domestic violence exacts a deadly toll. Almost half of all women murdered are killed by their male partners. Millions of children witness parental violence each year. Leaving a relationship--or trying to--can trigger violence.

Gabriel Ghazelian had told a friend that he was depressed over the breakup of his marriage and that he couldn’t live without his kids. Now the friend wonders whether he could have done anything to prevent the tragedy.

It’s too late to answer that question, but not to learn from it.

If a friend or loved one expresses suicidal thoughts, either directly or indirectly through marked changes in work or social behavior, you can call the Suicide Prevention Center crisis hotline toll-free at (877) 7-CRISIS ([877] 727-4747) for information and resources. If the friend appears in imminent danger to himself or to others, call 911.

Haven Hills Inc., one of two emergency shelters for battered women in the Valley, runs a 24-hour crisis hotline, (818) 887-6589, that can connect women to emergency services and other resources.

To Take Action: Anyone wishing to contribute to a college fund for the two sisters can send a check to the Talar and Kristine Ghazelian Education Fund, c/o Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, 1615 N. Alexandria Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027