CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- New court documents reveal what witnesses saw in the moments before Barbie Perez was allegedly shot and killed by her boyfriend in Chesterfield. Perez's mother and another witness told police an argument began between Perez and her boyfriend Javonte Blackston on A pril 13, which turned physical and ended with Blackston shooting Perez multiple times. Documents say Perez was holding their 3-month-old during the physical altercation, something experts said can cause lasting trauma. The criminal complaint against Blackston says on the afternoon of April 13, he came to the Perez home on Shady Creek Road, where he and Perez began arguing. Perez's mother and her mother's boyfriend told police they saw Blackston push Perez multiple times while she was holding their 3-month-old child. Advocates hope recent domestic violence encourages survivors to seek help It's not clear when Perez stopped carrying the baby, but the argument moved outside, where witnesses said Blackston pushed Perez to the ground, took her cell phone and got in his car. She followed him and leaned in to the passenger's seat. Her mom said Blackston then pulled out a handgun and shot into Perez's leg and chest, then pressed the gun into her back, firing more rounds. He then fled the neighborhood. When Chesterfield police arrived, Perez was already dead. Domestic violence experts said even at that young age, Perez's child being present for that violence will have lasting effects. "26% of children will witness or experience a traumatic event before the age of four," said Richmond YWCA CEO Rupa Murthy. "Often times, the majority of those events, it's maltreatment or family violence occurring in the first five years of life. We also know that 95% of brain development happens before the age of five. So these two things are interconnected. We must make sure that we are having conversations, getting counseling.” Community gathers to remember mother killed in Chesterfield In the span of a week, several other domestic incidents involving children have made headlines. On April 21, two teenagers were victims in a domestic shooting in Richmond. On April 16, former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax killed his wife Cerina and himself while their two teenage children were home. "That sense of safety is gone for a child," Murthy said. "And so building that back up, tapping into their resilience, ensuring that they've got resources to empower them to live a healthy and safe life is vital, at any age, for a child to be able to overcome what they've witnessed, what they've experienced, what they've seen, and felt during this trauma.” Counseling options in the Richmond area include the YWCA, Greater Richmond SCAN and ChildSavers. ...read more read less