(LACEY, NJ) -- The Ocean County Library Lacey Branch will present “Killing Kate” on Saturday, February 1 at 2:00pm. The event will be streamed live via the library's Facebook page. Author Kate Ranta, who emerged from a severely abusive relationship to become a leader in raising awareness about domestic violence, will read passages and autograph copies of her book, “Killing Kate,” and engage in questions and answers.
Ranta’s story is one of triumph over tragedy. As a survivor, she became an anti-violence advocate, eventually testifying before Congress. Her gripping narrative sold out on Amazon upon publication.
The branch is located at 10 East Lacey Road, Forked River. Registration is required for in-person attendance at this free event. To register, call the branch, 609-971-8973, or click here.
Kate Ranta is a public figure in the gun reform and violence against women movements. In 2012—after leaving an emotionally, financially, and sexually abusive marriage—Kate’s ex-husband stalked her to her apartment in Parkland, FL, where he shot her twice and her father twice in front of her then 4-year-old son. One bullet destroyed her right hand, and another went through her left breast, just missing her heart. Her father was shot in his left arm, which is still disabled, and in his left side, just missing his heart and lung. Although not physically hurt, Kate’s son witnessed the entire event from start to finish.
In the years since the shooting, Kate has elevated her story in documentaries, television, online media, and print publications, as well as spoken out publicly at rallies—in particular, on the steps of the Capitol with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Lewis—and participated on numerous panels nationally. As a survivor, she is aligned with many national and local grassroots gun violence prevention groups. Kate focuses her work on raising awareness about the deadly intersection between guns and domestic abusers. Kate’s ex-husband was a Major in the Air Force who had many weapons, but she didn’t know the danger she was in as he became increasingly abusive—especially once she left. When a gun is present in a domestic violence situation, women are 500% more likely to die. And, 57% of mass shootings in America (defined as four or more people dead) are domestic violence-related.
