PORTLAND, Ore. — Family and friends describe Laquonda Fuller-Hudson as vibrant and loving; a woman with an electric smile.
"Her smile is only visible now from pictures like this and that is so heartbreaking," Cerissa Hall, Fuller-Hudson's godmother, said while holding up a photo of her.
On May 23, Portland police responded to a report of shots fired just after 10 p.m. on Southeast 146th Avenue near East Burnside Street. They found the 31-year-old mother of two dead inside of an apartment. The suspect had left the area when officers arrived.
"My heart just dropped, like – I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it," said Shannon Olive, a long-time family friend.
The suspect is now in police custody. Police haven't identified the suspect.
Hall said Fuller-Hudson hardly knew the suspect, the man who pulled the trigger and ended her life.
"She'd known him about two months," Hall said. "They had just started to get to know each other. The phase where you're supposed to get to know people and vet them and figure out who they are."
Fuller-Hudson's mother, Lafonda Grant, called him "a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"I don't know this man," Grant said. "I don't know his family. I don't know nothing about him."
The family is pulling together in the wake of her death, caring for her two children — ages 10 and two — and reflecting on the time they spent with Fuller-Hudson.
"We're making a video and collages and things of her so her (children) grow, especially the 2-year-old, as he grows, he will remember his mom's voice," Grant said.
"Just to be able to see her humbleness but also her strength and her determination of what she wanted to do, be better for herself and for her children," Olive added.
Olive is the founder of Women First Transition and Referral Center in Gresham. She said Fuller-Hudson was taking some empowerment classes through the organization.
Hall said no one knew Fuller-Hudson was in a dangerous relationship and it's a reminder that anyone can be a victim of domestic violence.
"Anyone of any demographic, any race, any culture, religious aspects," Hall said.
As the family grieves, they're turning to the community and each other for support.
"We’re going to stay a family, love on each other and help each other through," Grant said.
Grant and her family established a GoFundMe page to help support Fuller-Hudson's children.
If you or someone you know if a victim of domestic violence, you can find resources here.
More Than A Number aims to help give a face and a voice to victims and families impacted by tragedies. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a homicide and would like to share your story, you can reach out to us by sending an email to morethananumber@kgw.com