GLASGOW, Ky. — In the days after a Glasgow shooting claimed the life of Ava Woodcock, her family was still trying to process what happened when the focus quickly shifted to her daughter, Chloe, and who would care for her next.

Alisha Carter was spending a day off with her granddaughter on April 6 when her phone rang with early reports of a shooting in Glasgow. Details were limited, but concern spread quickly through the family as they tried to reach Ava.

“We reached out to Ava. Of course, we didn’t make contact with Ava,” said her father, Wes Woodcock.

As information filtered in through police radio traffic and later confirmation from coworkers at T.J. Samson Community Hospital, the family learned Ava had been shot. Family members said she was pregnant at the time and suffered life-threatening injuries.

She was transported to a Louisville hospital, where she was placed on life support. She later died from blood loss related to her injuries, they said.

Family members said Ava had been responding to a phone call from someone asking her to come pick up a man who was drunk and belligerent when she was shot. They said the man was a former boyfriend who had only a limited presence in her life.

“She was wanting, and always wanted to do, what was best for Chloe to the best of her ability,” Wes said. “His role was next to none — in and out of life. A lot of issues.”

Glasgow Police said the shooting happen after Ava pulled into the parking lot of Annie’s Restaurant on Cleveland Avenue and honked her horn. Police said the man crossed the road and fired into her vehicle while she remained inside.

Those who knew Ava described her as deeply devoted to her daughter and excited about being a mother. She graduated from Hart County High School in 2022.

“She was very excited about being a mom,” Wes said.

Alisha, a mail carrier, said Ava FaceTimed her every morning while she sorted mail so she could see Chloe.

“I’d sit my phone down on my case, and I’d just keep working and talking to Ava and Chloe at the same time,” she said.

Family members said Ava was “one of the most kindhearted people out there” who loved animals and loved babies.

“She was perfect,” Alisha said.

For Ava’s family, the tragedy was compounded by the loss of her pregnancy. The baby, named Neveah, did not survive the shooting, they said. She was laid in Ava’s arms at burial.

In the immediate aftermath, attention turned to Chloe.

That responsibility ultimately fell to Ava’s brother, Gabe Woodcock.

For two years, Gabe had been serving in the Marine Corps, stationed away from home. Distance, he said, made him more intentional about staying connected to his family, especially his niece.

“You don’t get that certain period of time to talk, so I was always scared that she wouldn’t know who I was,” Gabe said. “But I came back and she still did. She knew me as my Bubba Gabe.”

Gabe was medically discharged around the turn of the new year and returned home just months before his sister’s death. What had been a family reunion after years apart quickly became a sudden shift in responsibility.

He last saw Ava on Easter Sunday. He said he still thinks about that final hug.

“It’s a lot,” he said. “Of course, everything hurts. But I try not to sit around and think about it.”

After Ava’s death, Gabe became Chloe’s full-time caregiver.

“People are always like, ‘I don’t know how you’re doing this,’” he said. “But honestly, she helps me do it.”

He moved out of his mother’s home and into his own apartment as he began building a new life with Chloe. The transition has been steady but demanding, supported by family and the community as he adjusts to daily caregiving.

“The apartment looks pretty great compared to when we moved in,” Gabe said. “Chloe has her own room. She’s got a bunch of stuff in her room. Her room’s full.”

Most days now revolve around Chloe’s routine. Gabe takes her to the YMCA, where she plays with other children, and they spend time at parks or at home with a small bounce house set up in their apartment.

“It’s just whatever she wants to do. I listen to her,” he said. “She knows what she wants and she tells me.”

Wes and Alisha said small moments with Chloe still bring Ava to mind, from the way she always needs something to drink nearby to her love of hot dogs.

“I think emotions just come and go,” Alisha said. “I feel like the Lord’s brought me a piece of my joy back, but there’s times when I’m mad and I’m angry.”

For her parents, the hardest moments come in the quiet, everyday reminders of what’s missing.

“All of it makes me upset in some way except for Chloe,” he said. “She reminds me of Ava every single time I see her. But every other way, it’s like a haunting.”

In the aftermath of the loss, Alisha said she’s been holding onto one lesson.

“I keep telling everyone even if you’re upset with someone or you dislike someone, tell them you love them,” she said. “Because you really don’t know. Don’t keep hatred in your heart. You don’t know when the last time you’re gonna see a person will be.”

For Gabe, the focus remains on stability and building a sense of home after sudden loss. He is also working toward securing a vehicle to help meet Chloe’s day-to-day needs.

Chloe has not asked many questions about her mother, he said, but the family is intentional about keeping Ava’s memory present in her life.

“I just love her too much, and no matter how the situation is, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Gabe said. “I wouldn’t want to see her go to anyone else but me.”