CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ordered flags at all state and local buildings and grounds to be flown at half-staff on Monday in honor of Dr. Cerina Fairfax, who was shot and killed by her husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, in what police have labeled a murder-suicide.

“We remember Dr. Cerina Fairfax’s life and her devotion to others, her patients, and most especially, her children. We honor her educational achievements, professional success, service to our Commonwealth, and her deep love for her family,” Spanberger said in a statement released Friday. “We honor Dr. Cerina Fairfax by drawing attention to the reality that women in any community or circumstance may face domestic violence, and we lower the flags in memory of her and all women whose lives have been lost to domestic violence.”

Fairfax served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018-2022, working under former Gov. Ralph Northam, becoming just the second African American elected to statewide office in Virginia.

He faced a wave of calls for his resignation following a pair of unsubstantiated accusations of sexual assault.

The couple had been going through a divorce, according to police.