Raleigh, NC: Cameron Village shooting victim sought help for domestic violence

RALEIGH, N.C. --

The Cary mother of three, who police say was shot and killed by her ex-husband at Cameron Village Monday, had been battling with him for the last few years, according to court documents obtained by NBC-17.

Raleigh Police says Kathleen Ann Bertrand, 41, was fatally shot in front of her workplace, Pier 1 Imports, by her ex, Christopher John Bertrand, 42, of Hoover, Ala.

He shot himself to death a few blocks away from the shopping center, shortly after the murder.

The couple's three young children are now in the custody of family members.

Sources told NBC-17's Jonathan Carlson, local authorities have been in contact with ATF agents and others in Alabama, to determine where and when the murder weapon was purchased.

NBC-17 learned Tuesday through property records checks, court documents, and interviews, the couple and their three young children, lived in Knightdale until they divorced.

Christopher Bertrand had worked at a paper company in Raleigh from 2007-09, according to a LinkedIn profile. He then worked as a warehouse manager at Adams Produce in Hoover, Ala., beginning in 2009. That company filed for bankruptcy in May.

Once divorced, Kathleen got the house, but the house went into foreclosure, and she later moved to Cary. Meanwhile, Christopher Bertrand settled in Alabama, where he remained until the shooting.

NBC-17 learned, Kathleen sought help for domestic violence at Interact of Wake County. The same office that was assisting Agata Filipska Vellotti, before the Raleigh mom was shot to death by her estranged husband in the Wakefield area of Raleigh last month.

In court documents, detailing the Bertrand's domestic troubles, Kathleen made it clear she feared for her safety. In 2010, after Kathleen took the children, of Christopher she wrote, "He has said he has nothing to live for if he cant be with his children." She continued, "He told my mom that she would never see him again."

The documents also claim, according to Kathleen Bertrand, not only was there physical assaults, her husband was under a CPS investigation for inappropriate sexual contact with a neighborhood child, and the couple's own children were being evaluated for signs of sexual abuse.

According to online records and interviews, Kathleen worked as a lawyer, before her children were born, and she moved into a position at Pier 1.