VASS, N.C. (WTVD) — The local Ukrainian community is in shock and mourning after Katya Tovmash was shot and killed along with her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day in her home in Moore County.
“I lost my best friend that I was with my whole life,” said Kiril Pryshchepchuk.
Pryshchepchuk and Tovmash grew up in the same city in Ukraine, went to the same school, the same LDS church, and later, both fled the war after Russia invaded.
Katya Tovmash, right, was shot and killed alongside her boyfriend, Fort Bragg soldier Matthew Wade, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend.
Courtesy of family
“You just know that if you come home to your home country, you might die; you just don’t have an option, you might die, so that’s just very hard,” he said.
Pryshchepchuk ended up in Utah, Tovmash in North Carolina. He was shocked getting the call from her brother that Tovmash had been murdered.
“This is not something that should happen in the world where a girl is looking for protection and is getting murdered,” he said.
It’s not the reason why I’m leaving the United States, but I am worried it’s the second woman murdered in North Carolina in the past seven months. I don’t feel good about that.
– Kiril Pryshchepchuk, friend
Just 21 years old, Tovmash was shot and killed alongside her boyfriend, 28-year-old Fort Bragg soldier Matthew Wade, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend from Ohio, 25-year-old Caleb Fosnaugh, who broke into their home. He was later arrested in Ohio.
Pryshchepchuk said Tovmash had been helping take care of her younger siblings, who had to live through the unthinkable.
“She was always amazing, she was best friends with all of her siblings, especially her sister, and I love that because love she had for her siblings, it was kind of like that with everybody else,” he said.
He still can’t wrap his mind around why this happened.
“It doesn’t matter if they broke up or it doesn’t matter what happened, this is not normal,” he said.
It’s also rattled the Ukrainian refugee community, which is still shaken by the murder of Iryna Zarutska, another Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death on a light rail train in Charlotte.
For Pryshchepchuk, it’s bittersweet as he prepares to return to Ukraine.
Katya Tovmash fled Ukraine after Russia invaded her homeland.
Courtesy of family
“It’s not the reason why I’m leaving the United States, but I am worried it’s the second woman murdered in North Carolina in the past seven months. I don’t feel good about that,” he said.
There is an online fundraiser for Tovmash’s family that has raised more than $20,000 to date. Her family is planning on burying her in Utah.
In a statement, her family said:
“We are heartbroken over the loss of our daughter, Kate, and her boyfriend, Matthew. Kate was an incredible young woman, and we loved her more than words can say. We miss her so deeply.
“When something like this happens, families are left to pick up the pieces. The person responsible has been taken into custody, and we leave justice in the hands of the system.
“We are choosing not to live in anger or hate. Our faith teaches us forgiveness, even when it is hard. That is the path we are trying to walk right now. Please do not be angry for us. Instead, give love and hold your loved ones tight.”
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