Community mourns two young mothers killed in shooting near University of Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two women were killed in a shooting early Sunday near the University of Louisville’s Belknap campus, according to authorities. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Iyanna Warr and Trinity Durham, both 20.

The shooting occurred at 1:44 a.m. at Family Scholar House in the 400 block of Reg Smith Circle, a nonprofit that provides housing and education support to student parents working to overcome poverty, unstable housing and domestic violence. Campus police and Louisville Metro Police found the women when they arrived.

Tyria Cowan, a friend and former mentor of Warr, remembered her positive spirit. “She was a very bubbly student, very charismatic. She liked to smile, she liked to laugh,” Cowan said. “She will always love her son; everything was about her son.” Cowan and Warr remained friends after graduation. Cowan worked with Warr through the House of W.O.M.B Foundation, a nonprofit that serves women and children in crisis, and helped Warr refine her resume to get into the Family Scholar House program. Warr planned to start classes this semester to pursue a forensic science degree. Durham was also in the program and planned to go into geriatric care.

Now their classroom seats will be empty, and their children will be without their mothers. “Their children are gonna miss them deeply. They’re all they got,” Cowan said. “Iyanna, she always had her son; her son is her everything, Trinity as well. I’m just so saddened.”

So far, the circumstances of the shooting are unclear. Cowan pointed to security concerns at the complex. “I never had to put a code to her gate; the gate was never locked, never closed,” she said. “I do feel like they should have more security, more measures, to help these women feel safe.” Several residents at the complex also voiced those concerns.

Cathe Dykstra, CEO of Family, the parent company of Family Scholar House, said a request to fix the gate was filed with property management company Beacon Properties in February. Dykstra said the challenge has been finding parts for an 18-year-old gate and noted that cameras around the complex may provide information to investigators.

Police have not announced any arrests in the case.