80-year-old Monroe woman shot, killed intruder; glad she had firearm handy
May 6, 2016, 1:22 PM | Updated: 1:48 pm
The Monroe woman who killed an intruder told KIRO Radio's Dori Monson she's glad she had a weapon handy. (KIR0 7)
(KIR0 7)
All Barbara Moles could think about after finding her husband bleeding on the floor in their home near Monroe is stopping the man who hurt him.
Barbara’s husband had been attacked by an intruder. When she found her husband he didn’t say much.
Related: 80-year-old woman fatally shoots home intruder
“‘I’ve been stabbed.’ That’s all he said,” Barbara told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.
Moles kicked into survival mode. She went to her bedroom — luckily, she says, the intruder didn’t follow her.
While she was in her bedroom, Steven Sheppard was rummaging through Barbara’s house. As he emerged from another section of their home, Barbara confronted him.
“He had my vitamins in one hand and a knife in his other hand,” Barbara told Dori. “I said nothing. He said, ‘gun,’ and I shot him the first time.”
As Sheppard made his way toward the door after being shot, Barbara told Dori she shot him two more times. A fourth shot missed.
Dori can’t even imagine what it would be like to take a life. Going from a peaceful evening — the incident occurred around 8 p.m. — to confronting an intruder who had just stabbed a loved one is difficult to comprehend.
“I look back on it … it doesn’t seem real, except for seeing my husband laying in the ICU in the hospital,” Barbara explained. “I was just trying to save my family.”
