A woman identified as Cassandra has recounted surviving five gunshot wounds inflicted by her husband after she requested a divorce, and later making the difficult decision to remove him from life support. The attack occurred in their home while her children were present, and she credited her children and a neighbour for helping her survive. After her recovery, Cassandra said she forgave her husband before signing the paperwork to end his life support.
Attack Unfolds in the Kitchen
Cassandra said the confrontation began when she asked her husband for a divorce, a conversation that escalated unexpectedly. She recalled that she and her son were in the kitchen when the situation turned violent. “My son was cooking. Before he pulled out the gun, it was in his back waist, so we didn’t see the gun,” she said.
According to Cassandra, a neighbour rushed into the house after noticing something was wrong. “He’s never done this, but he bust in my front door,” she recalled. The neighbour confronted her husband and tried to intervene, saying, “He looked at my husband and said, ‘I can’t let you do this.’”
Children Caught in the Crossfire
Cassandra said her husband ordered the neighbour to leave, but the neighbour refused, stating he could not walk away and leave them inside. Her husband then pulled out the gun and pointed it at her son. Reacting immediately, Cassandra said, “I pushed my son hard out the way, so he fell on the floor.”
She said her husband pulled the trigger, and the bullet struck her arm. As the neighbour tried to get her oldest son out of the house, her other children were caught in the chaos. She recalled seeing her middle son attempt to help her after she was shot again. “He comes and tries to put his arms under me so he can pull me to him,” she said. Cassandra told her son to leave her and run for safety: “I hit my son’s leg and told him to leave me right here and just get out the house.”
Escape and Survival
Her husband then fired again but missed her son, who escaped by jumping out of a window. With her youngest son still nearby, Cassandra begged him to run. “The man who I loved is standing over me as I’m laying on the floor with a gun,” she recalled. He fired again, hitting her for the fifth time. Eventually, her youngest son managed to escape, leaving her alone with the gunman.
Cassandra recalled looking at her husband and saying, “I never thought you would do me like this.” He then pointed the gun at her head and pulled the trigger, but the bullet missed and hit the floor. She heard a voice telling her to get up and run. “All I thought is if I get to that door, I could have a shot at living,” she said. She ran out of the house while her husband continued shooting, but none of the bullets hit her. “I hear my son say, ‘Mama, run. He’s still coming,’” she recalled.
Recovery and the Life Support Decision
Neighbours rushed to help her as she was taken to the hospital. She was later transferred by Life Flight to a trauma unit, where doctors treated her injuries. Cassandra said she survived because the bullets missed major organs. While she was recovering, another unexpected decision awaited her.
Cassandra said her husband had attempted to take his own life after the shooting and was placed on life support. As his next of kin, she faced the decision of whether to continue life support. After being discharged from the hospital, she went to see him before making the decision. She held his hand, prayed for him, and asked God to help her forgive him. “I prayed for God to forgive him for what he had just done. I prayed for God to help me to forgive him as well,” she said.
After speaking with doctors and learning there was no brain activity, Cassandra signed the paperwork to remove him from life support. She stayed until he was made comfortable. Despite everything, she still wanted his family to have the chance to say goodbye. “I wanted his family to put him away,” she said. She allowed his family to make funeral arrangements while she continued healing from the attack. For Cassandra, the experience became a lesson about survival, faith, and forgiveness. “I learned the lesson about forgiveness,” she said.
