Breastfeeding Mom Shot While Fighting Intruders

Semantha Bunce is recovering; one man has been charged
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 10, 2015 7:48 AM CST
Breastfeeding Mom Shot While Fighting Intruders
Semantha Bunce is seen here with her husband.   (GoFundMe)

Home invaders messed with the wrong woman in Charlotte, NC. Semantha Bunce, a 21-year-old Army National Guard combat medic, was breastfeeding her 4-month-old son in her bedroom when she heard the doorbell just before 10am last Tuesday, reports WSOC. Seconds later, intruders kicked in the door and opened fire, leaving several bullet holes in Bunce's home, per WBTV. Bunce, who grabbed her own weapon and fired at the intruders, was shot in the stomach and arm before they fled, per WCNC and CBS News; her infant was uninjured. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. She's "not out of the woods yet," her father-in-law says. "Everybody is concerned about her."

Police say 23-year-old Reco Latur Dawkins Jr., who has twice been convicted of breaking and entering, turned himself in on Sunday. He's now been charged with attempted murder, felony breaking and entering, and conspiracy. Police say they're still searching for a second suspect. Bunce's husband—who was at work at the time of the shooting, per WBTV—says his wife's National Guard training likely helped her stay calm while fighting for her life, per the Charlotte Observer. "I think it was a shock to the intruders just as it was to her," her father-in-law adds. Two fundraising pages have been set up to help pay Bunce's medical bills, child care, travel expenses, and missed wages. (This woman foiled an intruder with her medieval skills.)

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